A HAUNTING SUMMER

A review by Theresa : 

It"s summer time and school is out which means that it is off to grandmother’s Tennessee farm for 12-year-old Avery and older brother Blake and days spent playing a make-believe game of their own invention. But this year Blake feels that he is too old for this pastime and plans to spend the summer reading for school. Avery is very upset at the prospect of a long uneventful summer in the country. All that changes though when she meets Julian, an aspiring filmmaker, who wants to film a ghost story at the very old and very spooky house on her grandmother’s property.  

The big glitch is that Avery is not allowed to go anywhere near the place but after some convincing by Julian and some research into the history of her family, she breaks that rule. The house is as spooky as promised and the two would-be filmmakers are in for some very thrilling times trying to discover the mystery of the house and make their film in Sonia Gensler’s Ghostlight. 

This is a hard story to put down, ghosts and mystery an unbeatable combination.  For readers in 5th grade and up. 

AN UNUSUAL FAMILY

A review by Theresa: 

Their divorced family is a bit unusual as mom and dad are still friends and very involved with their twins, Nick and Eryn. When mom suddenly announces that she and her long-time boyfriend Michael are getting married, the expectation is that very little will change. But that may not be the case in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s book Under Their Skin. First of all they are going to move into a new house. Then the twins discover that Michael has two children that they have never met and there are no plans to get the kids together even though they are close in age. Very quickly changes come flying at the twins and the discovery that they make on a snowy day will change their lives forever. 

This new two-part series is a combination of science fiction, suspense and mystery guaranteed to keep the reader guessing. For readers 5th grade and up.

IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY

A review by Theresa: 

Daniel and his sister Erica are moving to a new home in West Virginia.  This is not their choice, as it seldom is with kids. Their parents have moved them into an old farmhouse surrounded by a forest and miles from town. The family does not flourish in this new environment, the parents have trouble finding jobs, Daniel can’t make friends and Erica withdraws further into herself having long conversations with her doll. The local kids don’t want much to do with these outsiders except to fill them in on the local legends about their old house and a child who disappeared. 

Of course there are also ghosts and very spooky critters rumored to actually eat folks appearing in these tales. Daniel doesn’t want to believe any of what they tell but when his sister suddenly disappears, he knows that he must do something. In the very exciting and spooky book TOOK by Mary Downing Hahn the author tells this tale from Daniel’s perspective with the occasional voice of the ghost of the old conjure woman. 

This one will have you on the edge of your seat at times and is a good choice for the lover of “scary stories.” Best for readers in grades 5 and older.

WHAT IF YOU SUDDENLY HAD THE POWER TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?

From Theresa, Children’s Librarian / Central Library

Right from the start you need to know that this is a very unusual tale. It has all the elements of a family story, two kids living with their father on a farm in Montana. There is a missing mom who has moved to New York to pursue her career as a writer but that is not what even comes close to making this a very odd book. What happened that very stormy day in Fiona and Fenton’s yard was, as they say, “a big game changer.” When that bolt of lightning hit the maple tree in the front yard and left behind what looked like a ball of lightning everything changed.  The twins managed to capture it and accidentally discovered that it was capable of bringing dead things back to life. 

Starting small they experimented with dead bugs, small rodents, a favorite dog and ultimately their grandfather who had been killed in a car accident. While the ball brought the dead back to life, no one was quite the same. The maple tree suddenly started bearing apples and the dog was not so friendly. Though to be honest does anyone really want to be friendly with a skeleton dog? Even their grandpa Wade was a different man, much nicer than the cranky guy they remembered. But as we find out in Evan Kuhlman’s book, Great Ball of Light, bringing the dead back can get complicated particularly when they stick around. Not always a dark tale of death and zombies, this one has some very funny and warm moments. 

For grades 4-7.

A DARK AND TRYING TIME

A review by Theresa from the Children's Room: 

The year is 1962, this entire country is terrified that another world war is about to start. Russia is sending nuclear missiles to Cuba and President Kennedy is threatening to attack their ships and sink them. For 13 days in October the tension is unbearable. This is the backdrop to fifth grader Franny Chapman’s story in Deborah Wiles novel, Countdown. While Franny’s story is not unusual, girl trying to find her place in her family, in school and with friends, the times she lives in are. Air raid drills at school, duck and cover exercises and frightening speeches by the President are her reality along with an older sister who is changing too fast for her liking, a best friend that turns into an enemy and the return to the neighbor of a very cute boy. 

All of Franny’s life crises along with the international ones are melded into a spot-on tale that is interspersed with footage from that year in this part fiction, part documentary work. 

This is the first of a trilogy, the second book is Revolution. A very readable novel for grades 5-8.

A JOURNEY

A review by Theresa from the Children's Room: 

Based upon a real incident in the 1920’s when American children raised the funds to send dolls* to Japan to promote friendship, understanding and peace, Shirley Parenteau’s SHIP OF DOLLS gives the reader a chance to experience a slice of life from that period in time as they follow eleven-year-old Lexie through a challenging period in her life.

Sent to live with her grandparent’s in Portland, Oregon following the death of her father, Lexie is having a very difficult time settling in to a more strictly run household and life style than the one she shared with her free-spirited mother. Making friends at school is also difficult for the shy girl and the school “mean girl,” Louise, is not making it any easier. When Lexie finds out that the author of the best letter to be sent with the school’s doll for Japan gets to accompany the doll to the big send-off, she sees a way to get back to San Francisco and to rejoin her mother. Things don’t go quite as smoothly as one would hope and it takes more than a letter to get her where she wants to be.

Follow along with her journey and discover her story in this work of historical fiction for readers in grades 5-7. 

*The Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles has one of these dolls on display.

MAX CARES

A review from Mr. B. at the Grandview branch: 

About a year ago, Max’s Dad died.  Long before that, a brain fever froze Max’s now teen-aged older brother Duncan’s heart and mind when he was very young.  Max goes to middle school; plays hockey when he can bring Duncan along and survive the harassment; and feeds and cares for his older brother in every way after school while mom works the night shift at a Chinese restaurant.  He is a budding adolescent and Maxed Out. This moving quick-read shows us a very caring but frustrated Max feeling more and more alone as his mother hides her grief in her work schedule and Duncan becomes increasingly difficult to manage. 

Author Daphne Greer draws an accurate and sympathetic picture of the innocent destruction Duncan causes his loved ones and his home.  Max eventually reaches out to a help line that opens the door to managing Duncan without having to institutionalize him. These warm and recognizable characters were all drawn from the author’s sixteen years working with special needs children and their families.  If you’ve had a special needs child or adult in your life, you will recognize them.  If you haven’t, this book will serve as a very real and sympathetic introduction.

Age: 10-13

CLARA LEE AND THE APPLE PIE DREAMER

I don't know about you guys, but I am beginning to believe in luck and that no matter how hard we try something, a little bit of luck will not hurt us in life. Clara Lee, who is the main character in this book gets her dream cut short when her grandfather interrupts her. Her dream was so scary, that she takes her grandfather's action as a sign of luck since the grandfather explains that at times when people see bad things in their dreams, their actually a sign of good things to happen in life. Additionally, her winning the Apple Pie dream contest becomes questionable as well since some kids think that because she is Korean American, she might not be "American" enough to win the contest. CLARA LEE AND THE APPLE PIE DREAM by JENNY HAN is a fun, coming of age story.

A PORTRAIT OF PIA

At first, Pia might seem like your average typical thirteen years old girl who is interested in boys and doing the fun stuff. However, there is a lot about Pia that even she does not know yet. Her living in New York has enriched her life on so many levels. Being exposed to great food, art and culture in general has contributed to her good upbringing. However, Pia also has family issues that have never been resolved. For example, finding about who her father is, or why her brother suddenly quit a very prestige school. In addition to all the madness that she is going through, she is also attempting to create a self portrait. The metaphor being that until she does not find herself in life, her portrait will not be complete! A PORTAIT OF PIA by MARISABINA RUSSO is an outstanding book that has so many great elements, one which I liked the most is the idea of Pia being such an avid reader and an art lover!

For grades 5th and up.

THERE ARE BIRTHDAYS AND THEN THERE ARE....

Birthdays are always a big deal specially your first one as a teenager. In the Beaumont family the thirteenth birthday is a very important one as it is when their savvy strikes. For one of the brothers that mean that his touch produced electricity and another caused hurricanes. Not your average family is it? Savvy's birthday is approaching rapidly and she wonders what her savvy will be but when her father is seriously injured in a car accident all she wants is one that will save his life in SAVVY by Ingrid Law. This title was a Newbery Honor medalist in 2008.

For grades 5-8.

AND JUST HOW WAS THE BOOK....

The Snacktime Readers group met last night at the Central Library to talk about this month's book, Rules by Cynthia Lord. Here's what some of the participants thought ( we always rate a book 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest):

Crystal: It was a wonderful book. I loved it. (Rating: 10)

Celina: I thought it was funny. (Rating: 10)

Allisyn: I really liked this book. It gives you a different perspective on how hard it can be for people with disabilities and for their family members. (Rating: 10)

Join the group next month on Wednesday, May 27. We will be reading The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. Copies of this are available in the Children's Room at the Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale, CA 91204. For more information, please call (818) 548-2035. See you there!