A STORY IN PICTURES

Migrant by Jose Manuel Mateo and illustrated by Javier Martinez Pedro is a story of a boy's journey from a rural area of Mexico to a chaotic home in urban life in the U.S. illustrated in black and white and told in drawings like a Mexican codex as well as written the written word.  It's a bilingual Spanish/English one on each side of the book.   Tied together with a ribbon.

For readers in 3rd and up.

GROWING UP!

When you wake up every morning to go to school or any other social event, the chances are that you look into the mirror and notice a variety of different changes about you.  The changes are mostly physical, like longer finger nails, or stronger arms and so forth. 

However, you are also going through a lot of changes that are not physical and it might be difficult to put in words or even to try to explain to your parents what those changes are.  Well, my friend that is called growing up.  

I think that this is one of the most important books that I’ve read in a very long time because it covers a wide range of topics that is crucial to young people who are going the emotional roller coaster of growing up. Like how to stop a bully or how to tell when friends are a bad influence instead of good?   

The book has tons of charts, illustrations and a glossary of important words that will be vital to know and understand once in high school.  Additionally, the book offers few pages of online resources that you can have access if you would like to acquire more information.  

Growing Up: Inside and Out by Kira Vermond and iIllustrated by Carl Chin.

Grades 7th and up.  

TURNING TWELVE IS NOT EASY

It all starts the summer Suzy is going to turn twelve. First, her mother leaves to take care of her sick grandmother. Then, her little brother Parker saves the life of their neighbor by calling 911 after she collapses at home. Now Parker is a neighborhood hero and he is letting it go to his head. To add to her woes, Suzy is starting to think of her friend Gilbert as a little more than a friend, and her best friend is chosen for a play while she is rejected. When her brother’s hero antics ruin her twelfth birthday, it is the last straw for Suzy.  

After deciding that she has had enough of being Suzy Quinn, she tries to be like her favorite poet, the reclusive Emily Dickinson. But there is a chance that she might be taking it too far when she decides to only communicate with her friends via letters and refuses to do anything that Emily could not do.

This breezy verse novel by Eileen Spinelli is a perfect book for those leisurely summer afternoons, at home or on the beach.

For grades 4-6.

THE CURE FOR BORING BOOKS

MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE (a book by Betty MacDonald) lives in an upside-down house and loves children. Many of the kids in her town don't like doing their chores, talk back to their parents, and misbehave in many other ways. Rather than scolding the children, the parents turn to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for her miraculous cures and antidotes for these rare childhood "diseases" their children seem to have, such as "Won't-put-away-toys-itis." 

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's healing methods are so funny and different, you may even read the other books in the series, just to make sure you don't have any of these strange childhood problems. Other books in this series include HELLO, MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE, MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE'S MAGIC, and MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE'S FARM, and are great for readers in 3rd grade and up.

JULY 2012

From Vivian the children's librarian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

A Big Boy Now by Eileen Spinelli

A wonderful growing up story which highlights many of the activities that a young child accomplishes and feels good about such as, making one’s bed, pouring cereal into a bowl, and riding a bike without training wheels are just a few examples.  When an unexpected fall from the bike occurs, mother is very reassuring and mentions that even Daddies come to Mom for aid.  This kind of assurance helps to build and reaffirm one’s confidence.

MERMAIDS AND PONIES AND CARNIVALS! OH MY!

Rosa lives in the ocean with her BFF's Melody, Sula and Jasmine and they cannot wait to do a performance for this year's carnival. Even Rosa's cousin is going to help make it the best dance ever! Wait. They live in the ocean? Yes, because all the girls are MERMAIDS!!! And, as part of their best dance ever, they change a sea horse into a magical water-pony that is sparkly and gorgeous! Trouble is, Coral is better than Rosa, and Rosa gets a little mad, and then something bad happens to the pony! Better read to find out what happens next...ROSA AND THE WATER PONY by Katy Kit is just the beginning of the "Mermaid Mysteries" series. For grades 2-4.

NEW ORLEANS GETS A HARD HURRICANE HIT!

Hurricane Katrina just seems like a bad dream for those of us who saw it on the news. But Saint Louis Armstrong Beach was IN THE HURRICANE! It's all because his dog Shadow won't show up when the town is being evacuated. Saint's a good boy, who always does what he's told, but he loves that dog more than anything (except maybe his neighbor Mona Lisa). Saint loves the dog so much that before the hurricane, he goes down to the French Quarter with his clarinet to play music for money. Music he spends on a collar, leash and food for Shadow. But sometimes a leash just can't keep a dog from doing what a dog does. SAINT LOUIS ARMSTRONG BEACH by Brenda Woods is a good, quick read that factors in all the culture and excitement of New Orleans, and the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina. For grades 4 and up.

AUTISM FROM THE INSIDE

Many of us see people with autism, and they are different in some ways. They may scream out in school or flap their arms or bang their head against a wall. This might seem strange to some, but what must it be like for the person who has autism? How do they see themselves? What goes on in their heads? ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL by Nora Raleigh Baskin tells the story of a 12-year-old boy with autism from HIS perspective. How he feels when he starts getting wound up, what causes him to do certain things, and what it is almost like to fall for a girl online who doesn't know he's autistic. This story will show you what it is like to be autistic in a way that will keep you turning the pages until you've finished the book. For grades 5 and up.

A HORSE TO LOVE

Chancey is an albino Appaloosa horse that's getting old. His vision is clouded with tumors and he's having trouble seeing. Now, his owner has to sell her farm and Chancey may end up at the glue factory! But luck is on his side when he ends up with a loving farm owner and discovers a girl who needs him as much as he needs her. CHANCEY OF THE MAURY RIVER by Gigi Amateau Together they beat many odds and excel in the little things while learning how to love with their whole heart. For 5th grade and up.

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE

Dill loves her dog named Dead-End. He only listened to her mom though, and now her mom is ... well, she's not around any more. Dead-End keeps disappearing and rumor has it there's a pack of dogs running around their rural community killing sheep. Dill hopes it's not her dog doing the killing, but she hardly has time to go look for him when she's cooking for her dad who spends all his time at work, and taking care of her grandpa, who hasn't been the same since her mother...left. Not to mention her job at the barn where she does her horseback training. If only her mother were still here. Action packed with tense sadness as its climax driving force, DOG GONE by Cynthia Chapman Willis will have you reluctantly reading through some pretty emotional situations just to find out what happens. For 4th -8th grades.

A TURNING POINT IN HISTORY

There was a time when kids went outside to play, made up imaginary games evoking historical characters and aliens from the future, families went on road trips in search of gold, radiation was still a new treatment for cancer, and cancer was still mysterious. In THE LUCKY PLACE by Zu Vincent, families are becoming visibly dysfunctional through the eyes of Cassie, spanning ten years from age three to thirteen. There's Old Daddy, the drunk, and New Daddy, the one Cassie likes better. Jaime, her older brother, is not happy about New Daddy, but escapes his anger and frustration by taking as many dance classes as possible. There are complex relationships rich with emotion, told from a soft, gentle, very human perspective. This book will capture the attention of 5th grades and up.

AGNES PARKER LIVES IN GLENDALE!

Junior high is a great time to work on invisibility - or is it? Agnes Parker seems to think so. Attending Toll Middle School can have it's rather embarrassing moments, or at least normal things have become more embarrassing, and Agnes is doing her best to avoid any extra attention, especially from annoying 8th grade boys! Her plan is working very well until her best friend decides to run for class president! You'll love reading about places you see every day, and definitely relate to Agnes' school-related angst. For 5th grade and older.

LOOKING FOR HAPPINESS

Is it possible to find happiness in death? If you were the one dying, what could you do to make your passing away less painful for others? These are just a few thoughts I had after reading THE HAPPINESS OF KATI by Jane Vejjajiva. Kati lives with her grandparents because her mother has Lou Gehrig's disease and feels she isn't able to take care of Kati. But Kati really knows nothing about her mother until after her death, through the paper trail her mother left her to follow. Recommended for grades 5 and up.

THE TRUTH BEHIND JUNIOR HIGH

It's not all fun and games. Junior high, middle school - whatever you call it - is about survival. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE, compiled by illustrator Ariel Schrag, is a collection of junior high experiences from different animators and illustrators. There's close to twenty stories, and I'd be willing to bet everyone can relate to at least two, if not more. It doesn't paint the prettiest picture of the "tween" years, but it shows a glimmer of hope in each that despite what happens, you make it out alive. For 6th grade and up ONLY.

CAUGHT BETWEEN GIRL AND GROWN-UP

Alice has turned thirteen and is in-between. In between childhood and woman-hood, that is. She and her two best friends still act silly sometimes, but more talk of boys, boobs, and bothersome brothers shows that they're not little girls any more. Alice lives with her father and brother, as her mother died of leukemia when she was five years old. Now Alice is the "woman of the house," her friends are changing all around her, and she seems stuck between being a kid and growing up. ALICE-IN-BETWEEN by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the fifth in the "Alice" series. There are over twenty books in the series, but you can start anywhere and still understand what's going on in Alice's world. For fourth grade and up.

21st CENTURY LITTLE WOMEN

When you're in middle school, friendships come and go like the passing of day to night. What's even worse is parents all of a sudden decide to become VERY embarrassing! Put the two together and you get THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick. Emma and Jess are best friends. They used to be friends with Megan until she joined up with the "popular" girls. And Cassidy has just moved into town with the force of a tornado. When the moms decide to start a monthly book club, the girls aren't thrilled at the prospect of being forced to spend time with one another. But as they read through Little Women together, they begin to notice themselves in the characters of the book they are reading, and they begin to see each other in new ways as well. A surprisingly enjoyable book that strays from the typical pre-teen girl theme in many ways. Great for 5th graders and older.