Obama: The Historic Election of America's 44th President by Agnieska Biskup and Seitu Hayden

In 2004, Barack Obama captured national attention when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. In 2008, he appeared at the DNC again - this time to accept the party's nomination for their presidential candidate. Where did Barack Obama come from, and how did he rise to this important position? Find out all of the details in this book that captures all of the exciting moments from the 2008 presidential race.

In many ways it feels like we just had the 2008 election, but the 2012 election is already gearing up, and there have been lots of other books written about Barack Obama. I enjoyed this book; it was detailed but kept the story moving well. I think the graphic novel/comic style is appealing and a fitting way to tell the story of a presidential race that was dominated by images. The book is pretty fairly balanced and in my opinion doesn't take cheap shots at any of the other politicians who are also featured in its pages (at the end of the book I see there is a Sarah Palin book listed; I'd like to read that one as well). The back of the book also has a glossary of terms and books and websites for further reading.

I read an advanced copy from NetGalley provided by Capstone Publishing. It's official publication date is August 1, 2011.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama
Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes
Yes We Can: A Biography of President Barack Obama by Garen Eileen Thomas
Hope! by Eric Stevens
Malia and Sasha Obama by Jennifer M. Besel

The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young

By all accounts, Dani is a pretty normal high school student. She gets good grades, sings in the chorus, and is a star tennis player. She also does a lot of babysitting. But lately Dani's been having some strange thoughts. She wonders what it would be like to reach out and grab a teacher in a very personal spot. After her best friend confides in her, she feels like she might scream gay slurs at the top of her lungs. And most troubling of all, she can't stop thinking about harming the little boy that she babysits for. She's worried that one day she'll act on these thoughts and she doesn't know what to do. But when she finally starts asking for help...that's when things get dangerous.

There's a nice ambiguity in the title. Does it refer to someone who is murdering babysitters? Or does it refer to a babysitter who murders? (I also love the picture on the cover). I found the first part of the book to be a touch slow (Dani has a lot of bad thoughts and reactions to these bad thoughts), but once she told the boy's mother about what she saw, I couldn't put it down. It was sickening to watch how practically the entire community turned against Dani, to see how her name and identity were leaked through online articles and blogs. They called her a 'potential killer' and advocated for violence against her. The subject matter may put some people off reading the book, but I found it to be a very interesting look at the power of public opinion, mass hysteria, and mental health.


Check out Janet Ruth Young's website.

I received a review copy through the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab program.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Opposite of Music by Janet Ruth Young
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Unthinkable by Shirley Duke

Karen's Little Sister by Ann M. Martin

In Karen's Little Sister, Karen's little sister (Emily Michelle) has been experiencing earaches. It's not fun for Emily Michelle and everyone at the "big house" (Karen's dad's house) is worried about her. But Karen's worry is mixed with annoyance and frustration, because everyone is paying attention to Emily and no one is paying attention to Karen. Meanwhile, Karen's mom and step-father agree that she can have a pet, and then she finds an injured baby bird. She cares for him, names him 'Magic Tastee' (after two of her favourite things, magic tricks and Mr. Tastee the ice cream man), and decides he's her pet. But why does everyone keep asking what she'll do when he flies away?

I describe my Murder, She Wrote books as comfort food, but The Baby-Sitters Club books are more like a Pizza Hut buffet lunch: deliciously cheesy, something you do every now and then, and it's not always as good as you remember it (but sometimes it's better) (although, I own a full set of BSC books and have a good deal of the Little Sister books, so I guess it's also like having a pizza buffet in my living room). Among Baby-Sitters Club fans, Karen doesn't always get a lot of love. I started out reading the Little Sister series before graduating to the regular series, though, so I'll always have a fondness for Karen and her Data-like resistance of contractions.

ANYWAY.

I think this might be the first appearance of Emily Michelle in the Little Sister books (she was adopted by Karen's father, Watson, and Kristy's mother, Elizabeth, in BSC #24). I'm not surprised that Karen has a hard time dealing with the appearance of a new sister. She's used to being her father's only daughter, and maybe even more than that, she's used to having a pretty large spotlight in which to be the centre of attention. At one point she says that she wants to go back to her other house (her mom's house) because she doesn't have a sister there, which is an interesting thing to say. She doesn't have a physical sister living there, of course, but how does she think of Emily when she's not around her? Has she really understood Emily to be her father's daughter? Am I officially thinking too much about the BSC universe?

On a different note, according to BSC #24, Emily's full name is Emily Michelle Thomas Brewer. Is that a little strange? I get that the 'Thomas' comes from Elizabeth's side, and it's her other kids' last name, and this child now shares a name with everyone on both sides of her family. BUT it was her previous married name (and as far as I know, she now goes by Brewer). So essentially, she's named her child with her second husband after her first husband. I'm not married, I've never been divorced and remarried, and I've never had and/or named a child. But is this common? I suppose it became her name as soon as she changed it...but still? And now I've definitely thought too much about this family.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Karen's Witch by Ann M. Martin
It's Not Fair by Anita Harper
Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin
Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise by Ann M. Martin
Bye-bye, Baby! by Richard T. Morris

Populazzi by Elise Allen

Cara's social reputation was sealed the day she had a urine-related mishap in kindergarten. No matter what else happened, everyone at school saw her as that same little girl. Then her family moves to a new school district and she has the chance to reinvent herself. Guided by phone calls with her best friend Claudia, a scholar of all things popular, Cara is determined to climb the ladder of high school life and emerge as Supreme Populazzi - the most popular girl in school.

I was initially quite skeptical when I saw that this story had a lot of rules about high school popularity (something I'm not always into), but this book hit the ground running and it wasn't long before I could hardly put it down. This is simply a well-written book. There are so many smaller details that I really appreciated, like how Elise Allen had Cara talking slightly differently depending on who she was hanging out with (most obviously with the Populazzi). Cara was, at times, painfully naive, but never in an unbelieveable way. She was a very real character who was sometimes slow to learn the consequences of her actions. And even while making bad decision after bad decision, I still wanted her to come out of this with some peace and happiness.

(Spoilers below)
One of the parts that I can't stop thinking about is how Cara's parents (her mom, stepfather, and eventually her biological dad) acted. Midway through the novel, her stepfather basically disowned her because she had been lying about her new emo-lifestyle (changing into new clothes after leaving the house, wearing lots of makeup, charging all of this to her emergency credit card). I get that he feels betrayed, lied to, and that he doesn't know who she is, but he went immediately to essentially cutting her out of his life. Then her mother blamed her for their marriage problems. I was glad that another character told Cara how wrong this was, because I thought maybe I was missing something. And whether it was genuine or not, neither parent seemed to be open to Cara changing or growing in the least; they wanted her to stay exactly in the box that they've placed her in. And while not in the story as much, Cara's father was also exhibiting questionable behaviour. Who gives a keg to a teen throwing a party and doesn't expect people to get drunk? If you don't want a wild party at your place, don't fuel it with a keg! But don't get me wrong - I'm drawn into the complicated characters who exhibit these behaviours and don't see it as a fault of the book or the author. Parents in teen novels are so often completely good or bad with no shades of gray, and this book practically lives in the gray.


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

See more at Elise Allen's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Elixir by Hilary Duff
All the Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

Everyone thinks they know who Addie is. They've created these opinions based on what they can see: what she looks like, what she wears, how she acts in class, who's she's friends with. But does anyone know the real Addie? Her friends, her family, her boyfriend? Can any of them understand who she is on the inside?

Verse novels work so well at showing the inside thoughts and concerns of characters. Do people think in prose or verse? Maybe a bit of both, which is what Addie on the Inside has. It's a strong look at a strong female character who is just starting to think about who she is and what she wants her life to be. She struggles with the pressures of high school, dating, and friendships while wanting to stay true to herself. This book can definitely stand on its own (this was my first introduction to Addie), but I think readers of The Misfits and Totally Joe might understand more of the references than I did.

I read an advance review copy courtesy of the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Misfits by James Howe
Totally Joe by James Howe
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
With You and Without You by Ann M. Martin

Troublemaker by Andrew Clements

Clay Hensley is known for two things: being good at art and getting in trouble. The principal has a file on him that's as thick as a brick. His latest prank involved drawing a picture of a donkey that looks just like the principal. Clay thinks it's fun to get into trouble and then try to talk himself out of it. Clay's brother, Mitch, though, is worried about Clay; Mitch just got out jail, and he's worried about the road that Clay's going down. Is it too late for Clay to change his path - and does he even want to?

In a lesser writer, this book could come across as preachy or too heavily message-y. Andrew Clements, though, has such a talent for creating characters who are three-dimensional and placing them in such a realistic school environment. Clay doesn't magically change overnight and suddenly become a 'better person.' Similarly, the adults aren't all good (or all bad) but have flaws as well as their positive characteristics. Will this be as popular as some of Clements other titles? Time will tell, but it's definitely worth a look.

See more at Simon and Schuster's website.

I got an advanced copy from the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Frindle by Andrew Clements
No Talking by Andrew Clements
It's a Book by Lane Smith
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
The Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies

The Cats of Mrs. Calamari by John Stadler

Mrs. Calamari and her cats have moved into a lovely new apartment. Everything is perfect - until her landlord Mr. Gangplank announces that starting on Sunday there will no cats allowed in the building! Does Mrs. Calamari have a plan, or will this turn into a catastrophe?

On a scale of things that are adorable, cats in disguise are pretty darn cute. I love the interplay between the text and the illustrations; there are lots of things going on in this book. For example, at one point Mr. Gangplank says that his dog, Potato, does not like cats. This is an excellent chance for caregivers and children to look at the illustration and see if that's true (Potato is smiling as the cats climb and play all over him). There are lots of two-page spreads that show off the cats and their personalities. And (spoiler alert), it has a happy ending.

I read a review copy from NetGalley.

See more at Star Bright Books.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Catilda by John Stadler
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
Cats' Night Out by Caroline Stutson
Where's Walrus by Stephen Savage

Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright

Carlos has a dream: to be Carrlos Duarte, makeup artist to the stars. He's wanted to be a makeup artist for as long as he can remember. His best friend Angie has a great idea: why not apply to work at one of the makeup counters at Macy's. Carlos is thrilled and nervous; he's sure that he's ready for this big break, but are other people ready for him?

I was interested in this book first because of the title. I knew I wasn't going to get anything that I'd read before. Carlos was an incredibly engaging narrator, but not always a reliable narrator. I liked that; it added to his personality and gave me more clues as to his point of view. The story felt like a little dip into one period of Carlos' life. Some books feel like this is the character's only story worth telling. With Carlos, though, I could tell that he'd been through a lot in the past and that while he was on his way to maybe being Carrlos, famous makeup artist, he would be going through a lot in the future. It (minor spoiler alert) ends in a good place for Carlos, but I definitely don't have a sense of "and he lived happily ever after." (end minor spoiler alert) If anything, I think this book showed how good and bad things can happen at the same time. I think that Carlos is a character that people will really respond to: he knows who he is and acts and dresses how he wants. He's not blind to how society sees him, but he tries not to let it affect who and how he is.


I received a review copy through the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab program.

See more at Bil Wright's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown
Fabulous by Simone Bryant

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

Paige hasn't had the easiest time since her family moved to New York. She misses her friends back in Virginia and is struggling with her relationship with her parents. She wants to be more than she is...but doesn't quite trust herself to start. Buying a sketchbook is the first step; putting herself out there is the second step. Following her artist grandmother's rules has results that she could not have anticipated. Is this the start of a new Paige Turner - or just a slightly different one?

This title is a great example of why you can't judge a book by its cover. Don't get me wrong - I loved the cover and it was the reason why I picked it up. But I was expecting some light, Disney-esque coming of age story. Page by Paige does show an artist coming of age (and she does have Little Mermaid-esque hair), but it's much more layered than what I was expecting. The pages that showed Paige's frustrations were unusual and honest. The illustration showing her mom wearing a happy face mask was one of the scariest pictures I've ever seen. Not everything was dark, though; her relationship with a writer-friend was sweet and tender. I also really liked the moment between Paige and a friend where they talked about how their lives had become Paige-centric; it resonated as such a slice of life moment (and how often in books does a secondary character indicate they're not happy with being a secondary character?) I cared about Paige and wanted her to be happy; this was a very satisfying coming of age story, and I want to see a lot more books from Laura Lee Gulledge.





See more from Laura Lee Gulledge at This Illustrated Life
and more about the book here. And don't miss this interview with her.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

When Hannah's boyfriend dumps her on the last day of school, she's pretty sure that that means the summer is going to suck. Her suspicions are confirmed when she Ryan, her ex, hooks up with another girl at a party that night. Hannah is devastated and turns to her best friend, Ava, for help. But only a few days later, Ava breaks the news that she's leaving to work at a camp for the summer. Before she leaves, she asks her boyfriend, Noah, to look out for Hannah. Hannah gets a job at the diner where Noah works, and before long the two of them are getting close. Really close. Too close?

Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. The chapters alternate between Hannah starting her senior year of high school and recounting what happened the past summer. At first it was a bit confusing; with so many characters talking about 'the summer,' I wondered if maybe this was a second book in a series and I had missed the first one (this is happening to me a lot since I started getting books through Galley Grab and NetGalley). But once I got used to the format, it just kind of clicked for me. I liked the conversations that Hannah and Noah had about Ava, pointing out that we often know people from only one perspective, and other people see them in other ways. Hannah definitely makes mistakes and doesn't always do the right thing, but I was engaged by her as a character, and wanted to see how everything was resolved. I think this title will have appeal for teen readers.

See more at Lauren Barnholdt's website.

I received an advance review copy through Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab.

Find it at Amazon.

Read it with:
Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Twelve Dancing Princesses by Brigette Barrager

Every morning twelve princesses wake up to find that they are completely exhausted. They drag around the palace all day unable to keep their eyes open. Curiously, their shoes are also worn down. The King is perplexed; what is going on with his daughters? He challenged all of the best minds in the kingdom to find out what's happening to the princesses. The palace cobbler thinks he might have an idea what's going on. Will he be able to save the princesses?

I was a huge fan of Brigette's artwork on Etsy. I'm pretty sure I loved it even before I saw the ShelfTalker post on her (linked below), but that doesn't really matter. I have a lot of her prints and I've given many sets of the Librarian Paper Dolls as gifts. So I was really looking forward to seeing her version of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. It's just a lovely book. Her style is retro and modern at the same time and perfectly suited to a book like this, where there are lots of flowers dresses and facial expressions. I can't wait to see more of her books as they come out.

Here's Brigette's blog.

Here's the blog post from PW's ShelfTalker: Please Would Someone Do a Book with Brigette Barrager? It has a ton of examples of Brigette's artwork.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Hansel and Gretel by Cynthia Rylant
Alice in Wonderland by Jon Scieszka and Mary Blair
Cinderella by Cynthia Rylant and Mary Blair
The Weather Report with Sam Sparks by Alison Inches and Brigette Barrager
Cheer: Confessions of a Cheerleader: Pyramid of One by Zoe Evans and Brigette Barrager

Clean by Amy Reed

Christopher is addicted to meth, but his mom is addicted to denial. Eva used painkillers and marijuana to deal with the death of her mother. Jacob used alcohol to deal with his anger until he was involved in a terrible accident. Kelly used cocaine and alcohol to deal with her life. Olivia is convinced that she has nothing in common with the other four. She's not addicted to drugs. She just needs to be perfect. Perfect weight, perfect grades, perfect life. In order to start to healing, though, she will need to acknowledge the truth about what brought her to rehab. In order for all of them to move forward, they will have to be honest with themselves and each other.

Even though the narrative traveled back and forth among the five teens, I feel like I got to know Christopher and Kelly the most, followed by Olivia and Jason, and then Eva. Eva had a third-person style of talking that effectively distanced herself from the other teens, but also distanced herself from me as a reader. I liked how these teens were presented as being so complicated; there was no easy answer for them to be 'cured.' Even if they are able to stay away from drugs and alcohol, they have a lot of things to work through: self-image, self-worth, parental relationships, ideas about the future, sexuality. I can see this being a strong book with teens who are looking for titles about people who face and deal with challenges in life.

See more at Amy Reed's website.

I read a review copy from Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Beautiful by Amy Reed
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Purge: Rehab Diaries by Nicole Johns

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Jane loves animals. She has a stuffed chimpanzee named Jubilee who is her constant companion. She watches as the squirrels run around the trees outside. She learns all about birds, spiders, and plants. She’s very curious about nature and respects the natural world. Jane loves to dream about one day living in Africa, living with and studying the animals around her. And Jane, who grows up to be Dr. Jane Goodall, will one day watch her dreams come true.

I can’t remember ever being so impressed with the art direction of a book. It’s not just the illustrations, which are lovely. It’s how the book is put together. The browns and greens and muted colours evoke ideas of the natural world. The way that Jane’s world slowly morphs from her backyard into Africa is reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are. The cover cleverly has Jane’s picture included in the middle of a jungle scene, but she’s not actually in the jungle – it’s like a picture of her has been affixed to the background, as if she’s wishing herself there. And, the final picture on the last page of the book fits in so well that rather than being jarring (which it had the potential to be), I can’t think of a better way for this book to end. Some of Jane Goodall’s own childhood drawings and writings are included, and the level of detail and the precision in the drawings is remarkable. Rounding out the visuals are older prints of animals and wildlife similar to what Jane Goodall might have seen when she was growing up. The text, while taking a backseat to the illustration, is also strong. Do not miss this book.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:

With Love by Jane Goodall
The Watcher by Jeanette Winter
Art by Patrick McDonnell
Jane Goodall: A Twentieth Century Life by Sudipta Barhan-Quallen
My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

April Bowers can’t believe her luck when she’s paired with Brittany in gym class. Sure, Brittany doesn’t recognize her and thinks she’s new, but that doesn’t matter to April. Before long, she’s eating lunch with Brittany and her friends and learning the secret rules of popularity. In order to belong, April must swear an oath to the Lipstick Laws. Some of it makes sense, like don’t double cross your friends, or date their exes. Other rules are harder to follow, like the ones about fashion, weight maintenance, and doing everything for the good of the group. When a misunderstanding has Brittany spreading rumours about April, April realizes just how terrible Brittany really is. Afraid that her social life is over, she discovers that there are other people out there just like her – girls that have been backstabbed by Brittany. Together these Lipstick Lawbreakers are determined to teach Brittany a lesson!

Books like this make me feel old, because all I wanted to do was sit April down and give her some advice. I’m officially the old person in these stories. Beyond that, though, I never really clicked with April as a character. She was really quick to jump over to Brittany and ideas of popularity, betraying herself in the process. But even more than that, though, was I never really saw why I should like her. She’s mean to the guy who has a crush on her (like 'Saved by the Bell' Lisa/Screech mean), and when she does decide to go out with him, she turns him into someone else (despite everything she went through with Brittany). Her ‘aha’ redemption moment at the end never felt quite earned, and she basically gets everything she wanted, anyway. I like the idea of girls who’ve been bullied by someone like Brittany banding together and being there for each other, but I felt there was too much focus on revenge. I did like many of the supporting characters, though, particularly the ones who had more shades of gray to them. This is Amy Holder's debut novel, and I'm definitely intrigued to see more.

See more at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Check out Amy Holder's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

I read a review copy from NetGalley but The Lipstick Laws is out in stores now.

Read it with:
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow
The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross

Clementine is a triplet, but she’s always been an outsider. Her two other sisters are identical to each other – identical twins in a set of triplets. She looks differently than they do. Even their names (Olivia, Odette, and Clementine) set them apart. But she’s had most of her life to deal with that; it’s something else that’s causing family drama. Her father – their father – is missing and doesn’t want to be found. Only one of the girls knows where he is, and she’s very reluctant to tell. With the truth comes spilling out, decades of lies and betrayal will come with it.

I was immediately intrigued by the concept of triplets with two identical sisters and one fraternal sister. How could she not struggle her identity at least in some way? Clementine’s life, though, was also defined by so many other people: her father, her college boyfriend, her mother, her best friend. The chapters alternated between the current drama in Clementine’s family and memories of her life from childhood to the present. Information was parceled out in bits, just as the fictional characters parceled out their own stories. I really liked this book. I finished it in one sitting because I had to know what happened next. I expected it to be a story about one person – Clementine – but instead I think it’s more a story of a family at the point where they stop being a single family and start being many separate linked families.

I received a review copy from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab.

See more at Gwendolen Gross' website and don't miss The Other Sister's website and the information at Simon & Schuster.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross
The Adults by Alison Espach
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Girls by Lori Lansens