Urban Animals by Isabel Hill

In some cities, there are animals everywhere! Going for a walk, riding in cars, and, as Urban Animals shows, on the outside of buildings! Have you ever seen a snake on the side of a wall? What about a seahorse? Some buildings have lions or dogs or even elephants. Keep an eye open next time you go outside; you never know what you might see!

I loved seeing all of the pictures of the animals; it's a fun look at art and architecture and urban design. What do these animals mean? Why would a building want to have a cow on it? Even if you don't live in a city that has the elaborate architecture of these buildings, Urban Animals is a great way to get excited about seeing the things that are around you.

See more at Star Bright Books.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Building Stories by Isabel Hill
Look Book by Tana Hoban
My Face Book by Star Bright Books

An Elegy for Amelia Johnson by Andrew Rostan, Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow

Amelia Johnson has lived a full life - not a long life, because at 30 she only has weeks left until her cancer kills her, but a full life. There are many people in her life who are important to her. Her two best friends Jillian and Henry are devastated by the thought of her death. That's what prompts them to honor one of her last wishes: to deliver taped messages to some of the people from their past. Henry, a filmmaker, and Jillian, a writer, frequently butt heads over how to best go about this task, and they're not prepared for everything they discover. In the end, though, they hope to create a proper elegy for Amelia Johnson.

Does one person ever really know another person? All the sides of them? Everything they've done? And is the way you know someone the way that someone else knows someone? Questions of identity, relationships, perspective and are at the heart of this book. When someone is dead or dying (especially someone young), there's a tendency to overlook any flaws they might have had and view them only in a positive light. But people are more complicated than that. I loved the artwork in this book; I loved how it captured expression and emotion in the face and body language of the characters.

See more at Archaia.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies
Janet & Me by Stanley Mack
Blue Pills by Frederik Peeters
Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker

When Clementine sees the 'Family Meeting!' sign go up at her house, she starts to get nervous; what is she getting in trouble for this time? She hasn't used her Dad's tools, she hasn't been eating too much junk food, and she's been pretty nice to her brother. No, the news is much worse - there's going to be another baby in the family! Clementine doesn't know why her parents want another baby. With four of them, everything is nice and square. Clementine already has her hands full with school and her friends - the last thing she needs is another baby in the house!

Clementine's individuality, determination, and point of view have already won her quite a following, and I think that this strong title will keep fans on her side. She's an engaging character and the stuff that she deals with (losing a favourite hat, dealing with her science class partner, thinking that her friend is growing up and leaving her behind) will resonate with the book's audience.

I read a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Disney-Hyperion.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson and Sophie Blackall

A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn and Barbara L. Gibson

Chester does not want to move. He likes living in his tree. His mother tells him to think of it as an adventure, but Chester isn't so sure about that - he's had plenty of adventures that didn't turn out exactly right! Maybe he should stay behind. If he did that, he'd miss his mom...but if he moves, he'll miss his home. With his mom's gentle advice, Chester learns how to say goodbye to a place that he loves and open his heart to a new home.

Moving is a fact of life for many children, but that doesn't make it easy for them. It can be hard to picture living in a new place and leaving everything that they know behind. In A Kiss Goodbye, Chester's mother doesn't negate Chester's feelings of worry, but she gently reassures him to give the new home a try. When I saw the cover (and the red-marked tree that indicated why they would be moving), I was afraid that the moving story would be overshadowed by a story about environmental encroachment. It does mention the tree cutting, but only briefly; the focus stays on Chester and his family's move. This book is a natural fit for anyone who has read and enjoyed Chester story in The Kissing Hand and A Pocketful of Kisses and a soothing story for any kids who are nervous about moving to a new house.

I read a review copy at NetGalley courtesy of Tanglewood.

Read it with:
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
A Pocketful of Kisses by Audrey Penn
It's Moving Day! by Pamela Hickman
The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Forest Animals by Deborah Hodge

Faces of Hope 10 Years Later: Babies Born on 9/11 by Christine Pisera Naman

September 11, 2001 was a terrible day that saw terrorist attacks shake the United States.Millions of people watched in horror as the day unfolded. Many people, though, had other things on their mind: bringing new life into the world. September 11, 2001 was the birth day for thousands of new babies who had no idea about the world they were coming into. These children are now ten years old. In a follow up book to one that looked at babies born on 9/11, Christine Pisera Naman invites us to get to know these children, their hopes, and their dreams.

I've thought about people who have a birthday on September 11, but I hadn't really considered the children who were born on that day. It was very interesting to see how they see America and what they want to do when they grow up. It appears that they were asked "how will they make the world a better place?" Their answers cover everything from green living, helping kids and taking care of animals to teaching, hairdressing, being a mom, bus driving, and serving in the military. The military and war are present in a lot of the accompanying pictures (also drawn by the kids). The book is dedicated to Christina Taylor Green, one of the children featured in the original book. Christina was the youngest victim of the Arizona shooting at Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's political event in January 2011.

One small thing that bothered me was that the book referred to the fifty children featured in this book; with two sets of twins, there are actually 52. This happened at least twice, once on the back cover and once in the dedication to Christina Taylor Green. (I am reading from an advanced copy, so there is a chance that this will be changed in the final version). Also, I wish there was something that let us know what the kids had been asked to draw. The drawings were so similar in some ways that I thought there must have been a direction for them, but even if there wasn't, it would have been nice to know that. Still, this books manages to honour and commemorate the tragedy of September 11, 2001 while looking forward with hope and possibility.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11 by Christine Pisera Naman
Caterpillar Kisses by Christine Pisera Naman
Dog Heroes of September 11th by Nona Kilgore Bauer

The Great Moon Hoax by Stephen Krensky and Josee Bisaillon

Jake and Charlie are two boys selling newspapers in 1830s New York. They buy newspapers every morning and then sell them to people for a penny a paper. They depend on headlines to help build interest in the papers: a murder, a fire, something really exciting. One day they discover a story from South Africa about a powerful telescope that can see animals on the moon. Even better, it's going to be a series! With the excitement growing every day, the two boys are selling more papers than ever. Could this moon story be just what they were waiting for?

The artwork in this book is just lovely. I love the way that newspapers and newsprint are incorporated into the images. It has an old-timey feel while still looking very modern. The story itself was a bit limited because of its true nature (there was a story in the paper about the moon, but then it wasn't true...which was given away by the title) so it ended more with a whimper than with a bang, but the true strength was in the details about what life was like for newsboys in the 1830s. It's a fun book that will give kids lots of things to think about.

I read a review copy at NetGalley provided by Carohrhoda.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky
Moonshot by Brian Floca
Till Death Do Us Bark by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
My Papa Lost His Lucky by Dave Bouchard and Josee Bisaillon

Super Mario by Jeff Ryan

If I say the name Mario, who do you think of? Possibly a family member, or depending on your interests, an athlete, actor, or singer. But for many people, there's only one Mario, and he's super. In the early 1980s, Nintendo was a struggling company that seemed, to the outsider, destined to fail. Twenty years later, it's synonymous with home video systems and has created a solid lineup of classic characters (Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Kirby, Yoshi). Along the way there have been imitators and competitors, designers and visionaries, successes and failures. Nintendo's history (and, wrapped up in that, the history of Mario as a character and icon) is recounted in this new book from writer and gamer Jeff Ryan.

I'm just a few years younger than Nintendo, so that gives me a bit of a different perspective than someone who remembers when Donkey Kong came out. I did, though, keep reflecting back on my own experience as I was reading. When my cousins would visit in the mid-80s, we'd rent a NES and play Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Later we inherited a NES from my uncle and I grew to love Super Mario Bros. 3. We had two Gameboys, but we only had three games for them: Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Jeopardy! (and we never played the two against each other in Tetris). Later we got a Super NES and then we kind of stalled out. I've never played Mario Kart, I have a hard time with the N64 games, and I've never played a Game Boy in colour. In university I discovered online emulators, and in January of this year I purchased a Wii. I don't consider myself to be a gamer, but I like the straightforward adventure that most of the Mario games offer. With that perspective, I really enjoyed this look at Nintendo and modern gaming history. Much of this information was new to me, and I found it to be written in a really straightforward and engaging way. The highest praise that I can give this book is that it had me really eager to buy some classic Nintendo games (on my Wii, of course).

See more at the SuperMarioBook website.

I read an advance copy at NetGalley courtesy of Penguin Portfolio.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Wii for Dummies by Kyle Orland
Double Trouble: Nintendo Adventure Books #1 by Clyde Bosco
Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton
Super Mario Galaxy 2 by Catherine Browne
Level Up by Gene Yuen Lang and Thien Pham

Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson

Calli's life has changed a lot since her moms decided to become foster parents. Her mom, Brandi, has always wanted to have lots of kids, and her 'other mom' Liz grew up in foster care. Calli knows that fostering is important and that many of the kids have had very tough lives, but that doesn't make it any easier when she sees her foster sister, Cherish, kissing her boyfriend. Her mom's lupus is getting worse (stress doesn't help), she can't trust her boyfriend, she doesn't get along with Cherish, and she's having a hard time getting along with her best friend. Calli's not sure what to do anymore - but she knows she has to do something.

In Calli, Jessica Lee Anderson has created a novel that deals with many shades of gray. Cherish starts out by giving the reader a bad impression (kissing Calli's boyfriend), but she's more than just a one-note villain character. Calli's frustrations and sometimes even jealousy also prompt questions about privilege and perspective. I could empathize with Calli even when I didn't agree with what she was doing; I suspect I would feel the same way if the book had Cherish as a main character. In some ways (likely due to the length of the book), it felt like a glimpse into Calli's life; she had drama going on before the book started, and she'll have stuff going after the book ends.

I read an advance review copy at NetGalley.

See more at Milkweed Editions.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Border Crossing by Jessica Lee Anderson
Trudy by Jessica Lee Anderson
All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Perfect by Natasha Friend

Record Collecting for Girls by Courtney E. Smith

There are lots of books about music, and lots of people who have written about music, but few of these titles have been written for girls by a girl. Courtney E. Smith spent 8 years at MTV as a music programmer and manager of label relations. She's interested in listening to music and sharing music, and those passions come together in this book aimed at young girls who are curious about learning more about music.

I like the idea of a book like this. As Smith was talking about it, I realized that many of the books I had read on music loving were, in fact, written by men. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on girl bands as well as the playlists at the end of the chapters. While the book is titled Record Collecting for Girls, it's largely about Record Collecting for Courtney. Her own preferences are at the core of the book - it's okay to like this band, it's not okay to like this artist. There's nothing wrong about this approach, and of course it's going to be written through the lens of Smith's own experiences, but there's a part of me that had hoped for a more encompassing "it's okay to like whatever you want" message. (I've been spending a lot of time wondering about this reaction, especially in light of its gender-based approach.) Overall, I love reading books by people who are passionate about a subject, and while I might not have agreed with everything, there's no doubt that Courtney E. Smith is passionate about music, bands, and record collecting.

p.s. My deepest apologies to the author for mangling her name so thoroughly. Everything is corrected now.

I read an advanced copy through NetGalley.

Find out more information from the publisher.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Songbook by Nick Hornby
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
Rock and Roll by Steve Almond
My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star by Joyce Raskin

Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka and Chad Cameron

It's fall - the time of year where apples turn orange and pumpkins turn red. No? What about trick-or-treating for turkey, and giving thanks over candy? Or bears gathering nuts for the winter, geese hibernating, and squirrels flying south? It might be fall, but everything is all mixed up!

There is an amazing attention to detail in these pages. It's the little touches that I love, like the turkey carved like a jack-o-lantern, the 'up' printed on an arrow pointing down, or the way the hot air balloon floats over several pages. The illustrations are frequently a little off kilter (check out the way the perspective changes in the first few pages) and that adds to the mixed-up feeling that everything is a little... off. The rhyming is clever and ends with a perfect invitation for a second reading. I think this book has a strong chance of becoming more than just a seasonal favourite.

Find it at Lerner Books.

Check out Bob Raczka's website. And don't miss Chad Cameron's website.

Read it with:
Witches by Cheryl Christian
Let it Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
George Hogglesberry: Grade School Alien by Sarah Wilson and Chad Cameron
Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka

Fail Harder: Failblog.org Community

The term "fail" has become so ubiquitous in today's conversation. Urban Dictionary defines it, among other things, as the glorious lack of success. Jack Layton used the phrase "hashtag fail" in the English language leaders debate in the last federal election. Most of its current usage comes from the Fail Blog, part of the Cheezburger family of blogs. Fail Harder takes the blog to a book, featuring photographic evidence of fails around the world. Helpfully divided into ten categories (such as school, the mall, holidays, kids, pets, and more), the pictures show a wide variety of fails. Some are causes for confusion (two signs for exits, pointing left and right). Some have words in the wrong order (eat kids for free). There are spelling mistakes, design flaws, and unfortunate names for businesses and products. I was shaking my head, usually in disbelief, most of the time I was reading it. You have to see this stuff to believe it.

Find more information at the Andrews McMeel website.

I read an advance review copy from NetGalley.

Read it with:
Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
That is Priceless by Steve Yelcher
Passive Aggressive Notes by Kerry Miller

Turkey Monster Thanksgiving by Anne Warren Smith

Katie's family has always celebrated Thanksgiving in a certain way: pizza on the couch in front of the television. She likes it, her younger brother likes it, and her dad likes it. But then Claire tells Katie that that's not a "real" way to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Claire wonders how to have the perfect celebration. She's worried that without her mom, they might not be a "real" family, and is determined to prove otherwise to everyone. But when there are unexpected guests, cooking disasters, and a possible poison oak infestation, has Katie gone too far? Can this holiday be saved?

I had no idea that this book was originally published in 2001 until I went to IndieBound to find a link. (I guess I should start paying more attention to the publishers copyright page in books, eh?) See the original cover? The book didn't read dated or 'old' to me in any way that tipped me off (it might sound silly to think of 10 years as dated, but a lot can happen in terms of trends in a decade). Katie is an extremely sympathetic protagonist and I felt for her as she was torn between herself, her family, and what other people might think of her and her family. At times I did wonder if this was part of a series (especially around some of the details of her mother, who was pursuing a singing career), but I think it was just that the book didn't spell out every single detail - and I liked that. The Thanksgiving aspects of the plot (and the cover, which I really like) make it a natural book to pick up in the fall, but the way that the story deals with issues of divorce, peer pressure, and living up to expectations are worth revisiting all year long.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Bummer Summer by Anne M. Martin
Tails of Spring Break by Anne Warren Smith
Bittersweet Summer by Anne Warren Smith
Don't Be Such a Turkey by Nancy E. Krulik

The Curse of the Ruby Necklace by Francine Pascal

While looking for shells on the beach one day, Jessica Wakefield comes across a beautiful ruby necklace. She's immediately drawn to this beautiful object and even risks her life by diving into the ocean during a thunderstorm in order to retrieve it. Her twin sister Elizabeth can't understand Jessica's attachment to the necklace - it seems to have some mystical hold over her. Meanwhile, the twins also discover that a movie is being filmed at the old Keller mansion. This could be Jessica's big break! And Elizabeth is eager to get the scoop for the school newspaper. But before long the twins find themselves dealing with murderers, jewel thieves - and ghosts. Can they solve a decades-old murder...before it's too late?

At the end of Fahrenheit 451 (spoiler alert), citizens of the new society begin by recounting the books that they can remember. If I was part of that society, The Curse of the Ruby Necklace would likely be my book. I purchased this book (or, rather, my mom bought it for me) when the above paperback edition was new in stores. It then took up residence at our cottage, and I read it at least once a summer until I went to grad school. When I went back to the cottage this summer, this was one of the first things that I looked for.

I never really got into Sweet Valley High. I spent a lot more time reading their younger counterpart, Sweet Valley Twins. In this series, Jessica and Elizabeth were 12 years old and in grade 6 (which always bothered me, because at my school 12 years old generally meant grade seven). Elizabeth was best friends with Amy Sutton and worked on the school newspaper, got good grades, and was the Gallant to Jessica's Goofus. Jess was best frenemies with Lila Fowler, belonged to an exclusive club called the Unicorns (who sat at a table they called the Unicorner and always wore at least one purple thing every day), dated Aaron Dallas, and didn't care much about grades.

Little of that, though, is relevant for Curse of the Ruby Necklace. Other characters make only brief occassional appearances (except for their cousin Robin, who joins them in solving a mystery). It's really more about Jessica, Elizabeth, and the magical necklace that connects them with Lillian Keller, the young girl who died decades ago and the subject of the new movie being made. Lillian's cousin was blamed for the 'accidental death,' but Lillian has returned (in spirit form) to right the wrongs of the past and to help bring the real killer to justice. The necklace acts as a conduit for the three girls to have access to Lillian; it makes them moody, possessive, and have terrible nightmares. (Sound familiar? When I first read/saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it made me wonder if J.K. Rowling had read The Curse of the Ruby Necklace.) Aided by the movie's Penny Marshall-ish director, the twins are driven to find justice for Lillian.

Like many series paperbacks, this book really isn't meant to withstand the number of readings that I've given it. Sure, the entire premise, as a ghost story, is basically implausible, but there are more mundane things that stick out to me as being unrealistic. (For example, a big deal is made of the fact that the girls are twins, and they're hired because of how valuable twins are for movie-makers dealing with restrictions on child labour. But Jessica and Elizabeth are the only twins on set, and they're only ever in scenes with other tweens...so how will having an extra "Luella" character ever make a difference?) It's best not to dwell on that, though, and instead just settle in and enjoy the complete ridiculousness that is The Curse of the Ruby Necklace.

See how it fits into the Sweet Valley Twins universe at wikipedia.

For a more in depth review of the book, I highly recommend 1bruce1's recap.

Find it at Amazon (used).

Read it with:
The Unicorns Go Hawaiian by Francine Pascal
Baby-Sitters' Christmas Chiller by Ann M. Martin
Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Fish You Were Here by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue

Everything is business as usual in Mr. Venezi's pet shop. Things are all mixed up, of course, but the animals are used to that. Then he hires an assistant, Viola. She's young but she's very efficient and she makes a great impression on the animals. She might be too efficient, though; Mr. Venizi is acting weird and maybe it's because he's not When Mr. Venizi doesn't show up for work the next day, Hamisher is convinced that he's missing. Not to worry - Sasspants and Hamisher are on the case!

This is the first book I'm reading in the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series and I was happy to see that I was able to mostly able to catch up (and definitely able to enjoy the story). I liked the colour and the layout; the illustrations were colourful but not distractingly bright, and even when a lot was going on the pages weren't crowded. I liked the animals personalities (that's something I probably would have appreciated more after reading the other books) and how they interacted with each other. And I loved the mystery storyline and the clues and misdirection. A fun choice for mystery fans, animal lovers, and kids who enjoy funny books.

I read an advance review copy from NetGalley.

See more at Colleen AF Venable's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Drained Brains Caper by Trina Robbins
Hamster and Cheese by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue
And Then There Were Gnomes by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue
The Ferret's A Foot by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue

In Trouble by Ellen Levine

People always talk about the girls who get in trouble - the ones who grow bigger, the ones with the rumours, the ones who disappear. These are fast girls, girls who went all the way. Jamie's world is rocked when her best friend Elaine reveals that she's pregnant. Jamie starts reaching out to anyone who can help, but it quickly becomes clear that Jamie has issues of her own - and Elaine isn't the only one who has decisions to make.

Spoilery talk below.

There is a lot going on in this book. In addition to the multiple pregnancy threads, Jamie was also violated sexually, and her father has just returned from nearly a year in prison as a political prisoner. There are family secrets, too, that Jamie uncovers as she attempts to help Elaine, and a small romance subplot between Jamie and the editor of her school newspaper. While it was necessary for the plot, I did wonder a bit at the way in which Jamie's family talked about Elaine and her 'trouble'; I get that they are shown to be different than other families, but this just seems to be so different than many other depictions of the mid-1900s. I also wondered if maybe Elaine was a figment of Jamie's imagination - that Jamie was the one pregnant the whole time, but because of the forced sex, she had 'invented' Elaine as a way to deal with it. This didn't turn out to be the case, but Jamie and Elaine are definitely linked and contrasted in many ways. I appreciated Levine's words at the end of the book that point out how difficult it was for young girls who were pregnant in the 1950s and 1960s - and how things have and haven't changed since then. Books like this, that talk about abortion and do not demonize it as a choice, need to be written.

Don't miss Ellen Levine's essay When, Along with her Character, an Author Gets in Trouble.

See more at Ellen Levine's website.

I read an advanced copy from NetGalley courtesy of Carolrhoda Lab.

Read it with:
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney
The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler
Snow Apples by Mary Razzell
Every Little Thing in the World by Nina de Gramont