The Konmari Chronicles: A Month of Decluttering

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So January has been all about decluttering and appreciating how much I have, and I've been taking my tips from the Konmari Method. I'm focusing on decluttering for my first month-long (or more) resolution this year.
It started when I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, which launched me into a realm of tidying that I hadn't thought myself capable of. If you don't already know about this NYT bestseller, then you're about to find out.

Kondo boasts a 100% success rate for her clients in Japan. What's different about the her style, dubbed "The Konmari Method," is that she focuses on the keeping of things that only "spark joy" rather than disposing of things that you don't need.  It puts a positive spin on the task of decluttering, and takes the headache out of the deciding process. There are no tables or charts to follow that tell you how long is too long to have something without using it, you just have to be honest with yourself and be willing to let stuff go that doesn't make you happy. And most of all, treat your stuff with respect. She sometimes loses people here, because she personifies objects to the point of weirding people out, ascribing feelings to socks, staplers, and what-not.  She talks to her things: thanks her jacket for doing the hard job of keeping her warm, greets her house when she walks in the door, and doesn't ball up her socks because it hurts their feelings.  So, she's a little funny that way. But if you can buy into the idea that some of the basic principles behind her method are genius, then you'll be in for a clutter-free treat.  

Things I came away with that really worked for me:

1. Declutter by category, not by room.
2. Don't worry about where to put everything until you've truly decluttered everything.
3. Declutter in this general order: clothes, books, papers, miscellany, and do things that are dearest to you last.
4. Do your categories in a big way, not just a little at a time. Kondo calls tidying up an event. Don't get rid of a few things every day - do it as a marathon and make it count. The big changes will spark the real change that you need.

When you declutter, do it this way:

1. Gather everything from that one category, from all areas of the house and dump them on the floor. This desensitizes you to it. You're more apt to keep it if you declutter them from where they are on the shelf/closet, so this is essential. It's also essential that you do all things from one category at the same time so that you realize how much you have in that category. 
2. Pick up each thing and decide whether it sparks joy. For clothes, some I knew right off the bat that they did or did not. Many I needed to try on. Keep what you love with confidence.
3. Let things go if they: don't make you happy, don't feel right, aren't your style, are no longer useful, if you have too many of the same thing and don't use them all.
4. If you have a hard time letting it go, thank it for its service and move it along to someone who will love it more. It may have helped teach you what wasn't your style, fit once but doesn't anymore, is too worn to be useful, or something you hate to part with because it was a gift or was expensive. Part with the things that make you feel guilty when you look at them, and let them move on so that you can too. 
5. Declutter everything first and then decide where it's permanent home will be. You can't organize your stuff until everything is decluttered, otherwise you'll keep moving everything around. 
6. You probably can't get a lot of money for most stuff. Get it out of the house as soon as you can afterward, and don't let anyone in your house de-rail you - if you think they will try to undermine your effort by pulling things back from the curb, do it when they are not around (so long as you aren't getting rid of their stuff!).

What I've accomplished thus far:

• Clothes/accessories/shoes: This has by far been the best change for me. Everything now fits in my tiny closet and my armoire. Summer and winter wardrobes are all together, giving me the most out of all of my clothes whatever the season. I donated 3-4 garbage bags of clothes, accessories, and shoes, and it made me feel 10 times lighter. Getting dressed, doing laundry, putting things away, and making new outfit combinations -- these are all way easier and less stressful, and my stuff has so much ROOM to breathe. 
• Books: I thought this would be harder, honestly. I'm a librarian! I should love keeping all these books! But then, I'm a librarian, and why keep so many books when the ones I'm really reading all come from the library? So now I've only kept books that I know that I love, would read again, or that just make me happy. I got rid of about 70% of my books. The books I have that I love actually stand out now, and I have room for funky decorations that always looked cluttered when I tried to put them out before.
• Papers: So, my filing cabinet was the place of things-stored-and-never-looked-at-again. Receipts, old mail, coupons even got stuffed here and forgotten. So, I got rid of about 50% of that too. I'm no Marie Kondo, who says she prefers to keep no paper whatsoever, but I'm happy enough knowing that I only have things I need and I can now find them at the drop of a dime.  Oh, and now I have a desk top. On which I can work. Without moving piles of stuff around first. Woo!
• Miscellany (Komono): Linens for beds we no longer have, 36 burned CDs, DVDs that I bought because they were only $2, a zillion wine-glasses from wineries we've visited, cords to I-don't-know-what-anymore, leftover blank wedding invitations I never used, pens that I hated to write with, lotions I've had for years and never use, cosmetics that have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, tupperware without lids... The best thing about this category has been that it includes stuff I use every day and yet never bothered to get in order, so when I cleaned up all these little pockets of crap around my house, it made everything feel so much lighter! 

There is still a good bit left to do, but it doesn't feel overwhelming, it's actually kind of fun. Having no real deadline just makes it a hobby with amazing results. It is already so much easier to put my house back in order when it's messy, because everything has a spot. I can identify very quickly when something doesn't work for me, and I get rid of it automatically. Before, I would hem and haw and think I'd give it another chance. No more!

Last but not least, if you are going to read this book. Remember: this is a guideline, and written for people who probably live in very different houses and in different lifestyles than you might have.  And some of her advice is nutty. She got rid of her hammer and her screwdriver, replacing them with things that in my book are never a substitute. She uses her headphones instead of her speakers. She dries and puts away her shampoo in a cabinet after every shower. For me, that is TOO FAR. But for the most part, this woman is on point.  Besides, who else has an organizing book without pictures make it onto the bestseller list?

The other major part in this month-long de-clutterfest is that I didn't buy anything outside of groceries (and gifts...for others). Whenever I was de-cluttering and thought I needed something, I wrote it down, and decided to buy it later if the need still applied. Not buying anything gave me the chance to see what I could make do with and see how much I really have already. When I finally went shopping, I found that I really only needed a few things, and I had the perfect sense of what those things were (black cardigan for work, and a better belt!).

Now that we are gearing up to move, I'm happy that I won't go through the hassle of boxing up a bunch of junk that I didn't really need or want! Whew!  More to update once we actually move...

Book Review: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

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Book Review: 
The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

Dial Press. June 2015. ISBN: 9780385342940

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Willa is on the cusp of her teenage years and becomes determined to figure out things that her family won't tell her, especially concerning her dear Aunt Jottie and enigmatic father Felix. When Layla Beck, the daughter of a prominent senator, is sent to Willa's hometown in Macedonia, West Virginia to work on the Federal Writer's Project, Willa's world gets a little more interesting. As the summer passes, she learns about the secrets people keep, and the pasts that they bury in order to get by.


Impressions:

Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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Book Review: 
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Scribner. May 2014. ISBN: 978-1476746586

I waited a long time in line for this book at the library. When I first put myself on the holds list, I was 213th in line, and with a little bit of patience (and a lot of copies in circulation!), it finally landed on my desk. Problem was, when I got it I really wasn't in the mood for a WWII historical novel that was over 500 pages long, and I had a bunch of other books to read as well. I let it sit on my desk, silently judging me for not passing it on to the next eager patron on the waiting list, and just before I was about to check it in and send it on its way, I had a sudden urge to give it the benefit of the doubt. I would prove that I wasn't interested! I would just read a few pages...and now here I am, writing this review.

Summary:

This book follows the stories of two children before and during WWII and leads up to their ultimate convergence in the occupied French town of Saint-Malo. Spanning several years, the story is told from the alternating viewpoints of orphan Werner Pfenning, who grows up in the mining town of Zollverein in Germany, and a blind French girl named Marie-Laure, whose father works as a locksmith for the Natural History Museum in Paris. Werner lives in a children's home with his sister Jutta, and becomes especially good with radios. He gets the attention of the Third Reich, and is eventually recruited into a Hitler Youth school. Marie-Laure meanwhile, learns how to navigate without sight through Paris with the help of her father, who builds her a small replica of the city. She and her father eventually must flee Paris due to the occupation, and go to live with her great-uncle in Saint Malo, a tiny island off of the coast of France.

Impressions:

This book was beautiful in every aspect of the story - the characters, the plotting, the language, the detail. The language was especially incredible to me - all at once poignant, but not overwrought - leaving little images, or sounds, or textures, lingering in your head. The feel of being in Saint Malo smelling the sea air as a thousand snails crawl at your feet. The sense of dread as you wait in a truck beside Werner in a field full of sunflowers. It was easy to get hooked right away - Doerr's short chapters alternate voices, giving you a new perspective every few pages. This is great for short attention spans, and for short chunks of reading time (me on my lunch break, for example). Even as the story shifts from 1944 Saint Malo on the day that it is being barraged with bombs, to 1940 Paris as Marie-Laure and her father evacuate the city, Doerr's use of present tense makes everything feel crisp and of-the-moment.

It's a gorgeous story through and through, and those 531 pages were worth every word. Moreover, as does good literary fiction, it really reminds you that not everything is black and white, and makes you question what you would do under similar circumstances.



You'll like this book if you like:

• great characterization
• descriptive language
• historical fiction
• realism with no sugar coatings

And just for kicks, check out this video of author Anthony Doerr talking about All the Light We Cannot See!

Book Review: Absolute Beginners by S.J. Hooks

Absolute Beginners by S.J. Hooks

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Summary: 

Professor Stephen Worthington's structured routine gets a wrench thrown in it when unruly and outspoken Julia takes a seat in his English lit class. He starts seeing her against his better judgment, and it turns out that there is a lot that he can learn from her.

Impressions:

This book is like a light-hearted and sexy version of The Rosie Project. Stephen is a stuffy, over the top, and lonely young English professor who acts older than he really is. At first, he thinks his student Julia is obnoxious - she's crass, she dresses terribly, and she is disrespectful in his classroom, even if she is whip-smart. She ends up getting the better of him when she shows him that not being type-A isn't always a bad thing. 

What I really liked about this book was that even though I often thought that Stephen was over the top at times with his type-A personality, I liked Julia's character a lot. She was nonchalant, easygoing, and there were plenty of humorous exchanges between her and Stephen that carried that story for me. Moreover, the storyline actually carried it well enough so that even though it is definitely erotica, I didn't feel like the author was just trying to string me along from sex scene to sex scene. 

In addition, this is erotica that I think works for women. Julia shows Stephen what she likes in bed, which he appreciates since he's had such little experience.  I like the message of healthy sex and openness that this book espouses. Since Fifty Shades of Grey, the market's had a huge influx of similar erotica, with domineering but often jealous and controlling men that want to oversee every aspect of the leading woman's life. Not super healthy, but it definitely has a niche. This was a nice alternative for popular erotica, and the writing was pretty good too. 

I would definitely read the second installment of this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced digital copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Book Review: How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz

Book Review: 

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How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. May 2015. ISBN: 978-0544411633

Lisa Lutz sizzles with this story of friendship between an eccentric trio of women - dashing back and forth in time from their days in college and throughout their lifelong friendship, they are shaped by their ups and downs and their undeniable flaws, but you’ll root for them every step of the way. Her characters are all at once razor-sharp, witty, and compelling - each with a unique story and hilarious dialogue that will make this book hard to put down. Much funnier than the The Spellman Files for me, and a real winner as a summer read.

Summary:

When quirky roommates Anna and Kate rescue George from her passed-out stupor on a neighboring lawn at a freshman-year party (in a stolen shopping cart, no less), they begin a life-long friendship that persists despite calamity, lies, and murder. With chapters jumping back and forth through time, it drives the narrative while you attempt to piece together how these characters came to be in their present states. How does Anna, the ringleader with slightly manic episodes, deal with her inner demons - find herself living with her parents after her once-successful career? How did she piss off everyone around her? Why is Kate, the steadfast eccentric, on a road trip with no destination? Who does George, the beautiful down-to-earth outdoorswoman, settle down with?


You'll like this book if you like:

• character-driven plots
• quirky characters
• eccentric plots
• ridiculousness

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced digital copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Book Review: At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

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A Book Review of:

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

(Author of Water for Elephants and Ape House)

Summary:

Philadelphia socialite Maddie Hyde is not keen on sailing overseas while World War II is raging and the journey across the Atlantic is dangerous. But when she and her husband Ellis are banished from his parents' house and cut off from their allowance after a debauched outburst at a party, they find themselves doing just that. Unable to enlist due to colorblindness, Ellis is ridiculed and shunned by his father and society. To work his way back into his father's good graces (and his pocketbook), Ellis, Maddie, and their friend Hank become determined to find proof of the Loch Ness Monster, which his father infamously photographed years earlier. When they get overseas, they see first-hand the toll that WWII has taken on the small town of Drumnadrochit, Scotland.  Maddie becomes immersed in the small town and the people who live there, and begins to learn that monsters come in many forms.

Impressions: 

I really enjoyed Maddie's growth as a character, which was really the center of this story. She wasn't compelling to start - she was lost, a woman pushed around by her husband and his best friend, taking a back seat to their general amusement and whims. She really only starts to become the person that you want her to be when she is forced into spending time with herself in this strange place, and starts to recognize the hardships that the war is having on the town -- and that she could do more to help. This is where she really steps up and comes into her own. 

Gruen succeeds in many of the same ways that she succeeded in Water for Elephants - she does a great job of painting the historical aspects of the period into a story filled with a little magic (here in the form of superstition and folklore), compelling and often twisted characters that you can really love to hate, and an interesting place setting. You don't hear a lot about Scotland during WWII, and I really enjoyed this perspective the same way that I enjoyed riding along with the circus in Depression-era America.  Although the love angle isn't as well fleshed-out in At the Water's Edge as it was in Water for Elephants, it does still help propel the story along nicely. My only real suggestion? More Nessie! I really could have used more of the water-dwelling monster aspect. I'm kind of a sucker for that. 

Professional Reviews:

Check out Sara Gruen's interview with Publisher's Weekly here.

I received free access to a digital advanced copy of the book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

2014: My Year in Books

Well, it's that time of year again. Goodreads has been especially useful in helping me track the books that I've read this year. I didn't read quite as many as last year, but considering most of them were bonafide adult books this year, it's not too shabby a list.

This was a year that I really went through some books that I didn't feel like finishing too - but don't judge too harshly. I have come to find that I have far and away too many books on my to-read list to bother with things that don't interest me, or just aren't my thing. I give most of them a fair shake, but if I've tried and it doesn't hook me, I'm okay with letting it go. This is something I haven't been great at thus far, but I'm getting to that point where I'm alright with it. I'll explain why in the short synopsis.

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio



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• Awesome - loved seeing different sides of the same story, the perspective in this really cinched it for me. 
2. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech
• Having loved Creech growing up, I was slightly disappointed. This was fine, but weird. Not in my typical love of weird. But weird.
3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• This was fine. Still wishing it was the Hunger Games...
4. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
• Great for young adult Jane Austen fans - fun and light reading. 
5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 
• First Jojo Moyes book and now I'm hooked. Great for fans who like moral dilemma in a British-Picoult kind of way, but a little more romance. Nothing gushy though, and I liked that. 
6. The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
• Incredible love story spanning decades. Great sense of place. Obviously, I needed another of Moyes' right away.
7. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• I am not allegiant to this series. Boring. Dull. Characters going totally against their character (here's to looking at you, Four). Also, Tris? I don't care. 
8. Winger by Andrew Smith
• Great for John Green fans - especially Looking for Alaska. Maybe a little too much, but still good for a boarding school book. 
9. Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
• Alterate history of the west with DRAGONS and other magical beings. I was duped - this book turned out to be SO BORING and didn't do any of the cool things it could have done. None of my teens liked it for book club either. So disappointed - I loved her Enchanted Forest series growing up. 
10. The Circle by Dave Eggers
• Freaked me out that this is what our world is coming to, with Google and the Internet taking over our lives, and us just sheep letting it take all of our information. Still gives me chills.

Book Review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

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Book review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Publication date: January 20, 2015

Summary: 

In this sequel to Addison's magical Garden Spells, readers are transported back to the small Southern town of Bascom, North Carolina ten years after Sydney and her daughter Bay have returned to put down roots and reconnect with Sydney's sister, Claire. All Waverley women have unique gifts and fifteen-year-old Bay is no different. Bay's is knowing where everything belongs, sometimes even people. But it's complicated having this gift, especially when she knows that the soccer star at school is supposed to be in her life somehow, even when barely knows she exists.

Claire's catering business has been put on hold as she delves into the candy-making business, which is lucrative if a bit time-consuming. And Sydney longs to have another baby, but it doesn't look like it's in the cards for her. Everything will come to a head when a mysterious stranger comes to town asking questions about their family.  Luckily, the first frost is creeping closer, a special time for the Waverley women.

Thoughts and Impressions:

Sarah Addison Allen has yet to disappoint. I was both excited and a bit anxious to read this because Garden Spells is my favorite of Allen's novels, and I was worried that it might not measure up. While not holding quite the same magic for me as its predecessor, I really enjoyed jumping back into the world of the Waverleys. Allen paints a beautiful picture of a small Southern town with all of its quirks and characters, and her writing is exquisitely descriptive without being overwrought.

Allen  does a good job of giving readers enough information about the first book without bashing you over the head with it,  making this novel work as a standalone as well. It was very refreshing not to have to reread Garden Spells to pick back up where I'd left off.

I do think that this book is wrapped up a little too neatly, taking away from the realistic quality of the story. I felt at times that her characters were just a little too good, and their conflicts could have been a little conflicted - I didn't feel that they had enough of a struggle, or if there was, it wasn't quite deep enough for me.  This book is great for a short, light feel-good read, leaving readers warm, fuzzy, and satisfied.

This is an easy book to recommend to any age - Claire and Sydney will connect with adult women and mothers, Bay's story line will connect with younger readers, and Claire and Sydney's vibrant cousin Evanelle will connect with older readers. It's also a great gentle read - no sex or swearing to be found.

What to Read Next? 

Sarah Addison Allen's books combine magical realism with Southern charm, and I'd recommend this to fans of Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate (if you like magical realism involving food), Lisa Van Allen's The Wishing Thread (if you like the small-town feel, magical realism, sister-connection), Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients (if you liked the food narrative and multiple story lines), and Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap (for the small-town feel and strong female characters).

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Professional Reviews:

"Allen has written a beautiful, lyrical story, complete with genuine characters whose depth reflects Allen's skill as a writer. Allen's fans will be eagerly awaiting her next." -Publisher's Weekly

"Thomas Wolfe was wrong.  You can go home again, and in returning to the Waverley household, the winsomely wise Allen demonstrates that sometimes it's necessary to embrace the magic to find out what's real in life and in one's own heart." -Booklist, Carol Haggas

2013: My Year in Books

 Here are my books from 2013 with my brief commentary-- now that it's pretty much APRIL, I have finally gotten to posting this. I have tried to mark where they were graphic novels, audiobooks, etc., and also what age they might best suit.  I'd say 66 books ain't bad.

1. Across the Universe  - Beth Revis (half audiobook)
• Great YA space travel dystopian novel with lots of twists and turns. Also got my husband hooked on this, muahaha.
2. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
• YA dystopian novel where love is illegal -- maybe not fleshed out as well as it could have been, but was fun along the way.  See #54 for my thoughts on the sequel.
3. A Million Suns - Beth Revis (sequel to Across the Universe)
• I don't normally read sequels, but I couldn't help myself with this one! 
4. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
• My teens were obsessed with this, and it got a lot of hype, so I read it. So glad I did - funky characters, great dialogue, and totally fun to read. Great for upper elementary and middle grade readers.
5. The Case of the Deadly Desperados - Caroline Lawrence
• Western for the elementary set? Yes, please! Main character Pinky is hilarious and deadpan, and expect a lot of adventure, with a pinch of gruesome. Better for middle grade.

2012: My Year in Books

Here it is! The listyou’ve been waiting for. Or that I’ve been waiting for… so that I could finallygo back and remember the books that I read this past year in their entirety. Itried to write a short blurb about each one so that you were actually gettingsomething out of it by reading this list. Hope you enjoy!

1. American Gods - NeilGaiman
• Great book. Not a light, fast read, but keepsyou thinking and the plot keeps moving. Gaiman has such a wonderful style thatit's hard to compare to anyone else. I think I liked Anansi Boys just a tadmore, if only because it was a bit more focused.
2. Nevermore - KellyCreagh
• This was an interesting YA read. Edgar AllenPoe's world comes to life in this novel (literally) for a seemingly unlikelypair.
3. Hunger Games -Suzanne Collins
• I had to wait on themiles-long list at the library for this…but totally worth it. Movie was a greatadaptation, as well.
4. Catching Fire -Suzanne Collins - see above
5. The Scorpio Races (audioand book)- Maggie Stiefvater
• In love with thisbook’s idea and execution – much better than Stiefvater’s Linger series. Greatif you love man-eating horses from the sea, adventures, and orphans.
6. Page by Paige - LauraLee Gulledge (graphic novel)
• Character moves fromCharlottesville, VA (!) to NYC, and struggles with identity and self as anartist along the way. Coming of age, poignant, very creative.
7. Dead Until Dark (audio)- Charlaine Harris
• Harris is hilarious.I watched True Blood first, so I saw all of it coming, but it didn’t take awayfrom it for me. I would read more of these fun little mysteries.
8. Copper (graphicnovel) - Kazu Kibuishi
• Creative, fast, read.Great for children, teens, adults, anyone. Drawing style is awesome.
9. Max’s Logbook (graphicnovel)  - Marissa Moss
• This and Amelia’sNotebook are told in drawing-diary format, which is cool and interesting.Not real deep or mind-blowing, but realistic. I liked them.
10. Amelia’s Notebook (graphicnovel) - Marissa Moss - see above
11. Mangaman - BarryLyga
• Such an innovativeconcept. I showed this to two of my guy friends who seem to know everythinggraphic novel, and was delighted to show them something they hadn’t seenbefore, and which they loved. Woot!
12. Mockingjay - SuzanneCollins
• Took soooo muchlonger to get this than the last. Others said they didn’t like this end to thetrilogy as much as the other two, but I think that’s just because they wantedto see another 24 people fight to the death in an arena.
13. Horns and Wrinkles - JosephHelgerson
• Fun, quirky read forchildren. A girl’s bully-cousin grows a horn when he does something nasty, andshe must undo the “rivery” business so she can set her family right. Involvestrolls, an eccentric old lady, the Mississippi, and people turned to stone.
14. 11 Birthdays (audioand book) - Wendy Mass
• Realistic fiction with a twist - a tale about agirl who must relive her 11th birthday over and over again until she figuresout what's keeping it from moving on. Like the movie Groundhog Day, only withan 11 year old girl. A great story, and great on audiobook.
15. Witches! The absolutelytrue tale of disaster in Salem - Rosalyn Schanzer
• Fun non-fiction ofthe Salem witch trials. Great for teens.
16. Rowan Hood - NancySpringer
• Great adventure tale for those who are fans ofthe Robin Hood tales and those who like a strong female lead-- it followsRowan, who decides to find her father Robin Hood and his band of merry menafter her mother is killed. She makes a lot of friends along the way. Lovedthis!
17. Dragonbreath - UrsulaVernon
• A fun and silly read for those who are juststepping into chapter books, and good for those being weaned off of graphicnovels or picture books. Semi-graphical in nature, it follows a DannyDragonbreath and his iguana friend as they take an ocean adventure that willhopefully help Danny get good marks on a school report.
18. Bless Me, Ultima -Rudolfo Anaya
• Big Read 2012 pick -- Six-year-old Antonio'sgrandmother is a curandera, a healer who uses herbs and magic, and Toni mustcome to terms with his own religious beliefs in this coming-of-age tale set inthe New Mexico area around WWI. Some magical realism involved, which I alwayslike.
19. Journey to the River Sea - EvaIbbotson
• This should become a new children's classic, asit reads like E.B. White or Francis Burnett. Ibbotson creates a fantastic worldfull of wonder in the Amazonian rainforest, where a British orphan girl namedMaia goes to live with her long-lost relatives who have taken her in hoping toget the money her parents have left her. She's adventurous, quick-witted, andmakes friends despite putting up with her truly terrible family.
20. The School of EssentialIngredients - Erica Bauermeister 
• Great light read that involves multiplecharacters and their back stories, all tied together through a cooking classthey are taking. It's a novel of the senses, a short read, and makes you wantto go cook something!
21. Theodosia and the Serpentsof Chaos - R. L. LaFevers (audiobook)
• Wonderful audiobook, Theodosia is a fun andinquisitive girl, and much smarter than she ever gets credit for. Mystery,adventure, and cool old Egyptian stuff. Great for elementary age kids wholike historical stories or mysteries.
22. An Abundance of Katherines - JohnGreen
• My FAVORITE of JohnGreen’s novels. And that is saying something. Everything he touches is gold.
23. Dunderheads - PaulFleischman
• Kids using all theirskills to show up a teacher to save a classmate’s item which she has unfairlyconfiscated.  
24. Jack Blank and the ImagineNation - Matt Myklusch
• A boy asking aboutthis book’s sequel intrigued me, so I had to pick it up. Full of robo-zombiealiens, infectious disease, a floating island in the sky, which is inhabited byheroes that you thought only existed in comic books. Great read-alike for thosewho like the Lightning Thief, but I like this even better.
25. Donuthead - SueStauffacher
• OCD neat-freak boymeets a dirty in-your-face girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and has todeal with her or be pummeled into oblivion. Not a love story, but they bothlearn a lot from each other. Nice realistic fiction for children.
26. Legend - MarieLu
•  I loved this dystopian novel – action-packedand has a revenge factor. Well-done, Marie Lu, well done. I thought it wouldpale compared to Hunger Games, but Legend held its own.
27. The Art of Forgetting - CamilleNoe Pagan
• Weird to read anadult book in the midst of all this teen and children’s lit, but I like a goodamnesia story, so this worked for me. A woman finds herself after hertake-control best friend gets amnesia and therefore no longer overshadows her.
28. A Dog's Journey - W. BruceCameron (sequel to A Dog's Purpose)
• Not as good as thefirst, but continues on the premise, now taking care of the original “boy”’sgranddaughter. Very sweet, and great for dog-lovers.
29.  Ashfall - Mike Mullin
• When a super volcanoerupts in Yellowstone Natl Park, a teen boy who has stayed home from a familyvacation sets out to find them amidst an ash-covered and government-absentlandscape. Realistic, survivalistic, sometimes gritty, with a bit of a love subplotthrown in. I LOVED this, and couldn’t stop raving about it.
30. A Mango-shaped Space - WendyMass
• I always wondered howit would be to have synesthesia ,and now, thanks to Wendy Mass, I think I’m starting to get it.
31. The Night Circus - ErinMorgenstern
• Beautiful book—theplace was extremely magical, and I kept reading to see how the circus wouldchange, but the characters were a little lackluster for me.
32. The Top 10 Deadliest Sharks -(Graphic novel) Joe Brusha
• Leave it to theDiscovery Channel to make a great graphic novel about sharks based off of theirsharks week. The title and format say it all. Bravo! Give me more!
33. Peter and the Starcatchers - DaveBarry and Ridley Pearson (audiobook)
• Jim Dale reads thisseries, which is awesome, and I could not be more impressed with the authors for this story abouthow Peter Pan gets to be Peter Pan. I absolutely love this story.
34. Paper Towns - JohnGreen
• Not as great as Katherines,but still, it’s John Green.
35. Blankets - CraigThompson (Graphic novel)
• Not my style of plotlineas far as graphic novels go, but the drawings were exquisite.
36. The Age of Miracles - KarenThompson Walker
• Disappointed by thisone – one of those natural-disaster dystopians which really fell short ofrealistic for me. The character was weak, didn’t ask almost any questions, andI felt a little cheated once I’d finished.
37. Rip the Page! Adventures inCreative Writing - Karen Benke
• Please, PLEASE readthis if you like playing around with words or just want some fun activities toget writing. I loved everything about this.
38. Artemis Fowl - EoinColfer
• Great for boys who want to rule the world, andanyone who likes the idea of an underground array of mythological creatureslike fairies, gnomes, goblins, and the like.
39. Ivy + Bean - AnnieBarrows
• Fun read about twogirls who are slight troublemakers. Great early chapter book.
40. Junie B. Jones and theStupid Smelly Bus - Barbara Park
• Junie is a bit of abrat, but from a kid’s point of view, she’s just right. She does the things youwish you could do, and her mischief is kinda fun. I mean, what kindergarteneractually likes the bus? I’d hide in the craft closet, too.
41. Bink and Gollie - KateDiCamillo and Alison McGhee
• Short and sweet.Great for stepping up to chapter books.
42. Flight of the Phoenix - R.L.LaFevers (Bk 1 of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series)
• Great adventure storyfor kids stepping into chapter books. Great mythological beasts are in store!
43. Fahrenheit 451 - RayBradbury (audiobook)
• Loved this. I figured that I would, but afterBanned Books Week, decided I needed to finally read this one. Great audio(downloaded from Overdrive), and I literally would sit in my car long after Igot home just to finish listening to it.
44. Life As We Knew It - SusanBeth Pfeffer (audiobook) - DNF (did not finish)
• I wanted very badly to like this one, and gaveit multiple shots. Having just read The Age of Miracles andbeing disappointed by it, thought this would be better since it came out beforethat one. But no. The main character bothered me and didn't seem to have anyperspective, and said maybe every chapter, "How could it possibly get anyworse?" Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the diary format. Though I triedhard, I just couldn't finish this book.
45. Giants Beware! (graphicnovel) - Jorge Aguirre
• Great adventure storywith a tomboy girl who decides she has to prove herself by showing she is agiant-killer. She cons her friends into coming with her on her journey. Fungraphic novel and great for younger kids, but a lot of humor that older kidsand teens will enjoy too.
46. The Butterfly Clues - KateEllison (DNF)
• I wanted to like this YA thriller-mystery, butdislike the character so much I had to set it aside. Creepy, but not in anI-want-to-see-where-this-goes kind of way.
47. Ingo - HelenDunmore
• Magical underwater world. Strong femalecharacter, but not too girly. Reminded me a little of Scorpio Races for theyounger set.  
48. Lulu and the Brontosaurus - JudithViorst
• Quick, funny read about a girl with a nastyattitude who wants to own a brontosaurus. Judith Viorst at her best. Great forstep-up readers with a good sense of humor.
49. The Light Between Oceans - M.L.Stedman
• This book was okay, but given its hype, Iexpected more. Great premise, but didn't connect with any of the characters orcare too much about their plight. Setting was beautiful though, and dilemma wasa great idea.
50. Cinder - MarissaMeyer
• Fun dystopian take on Cinderella, where Cinderis actually a droid. Includes a plague, a handsome prince, and aliens that liveon the moon (Lunars).  
51. Sees Behind Trees -Michael Dorris
• Nice coming-of-agebook in a seemingly Native American tribe, but it focuses more on the characterand his relationships than trying to be an “book about Native Americans”.
52. Little Dog Lost - MarionBauer
• SO. FREAKING. CUTE. Great dogbook for children (or anyone, really). Told in verse, but not rhyming. Tellsabout how a dog brings a neighborhood together unexpectedly. Very fulfilling.
53. Granny Torelli Makes Soup - SharonCreech
• Great short book byCreech. The girl is very realistic and relatable, and Granny Torelli is full ofall the right information.
54. The Fault in Our Stars - JohnGreen
• It’s about a cancerpatient, so you know there will be sadness, but it is SO funny too. My secondfavorite John Green book, which is still saying something.
55. The Invention of HugoCabret - Brian Selznick
• This lived up to thehype. Selznick is a genius. The time period and the subject seems untouched,and I love that.
56. Wonder Show - HannahBarnaby
• After reading TheNight Circus and Water for Elephants, I was afraid the thrill of thecircus scene might have been done, but this felt different – it didn’tfocus on love or the magic of the show, but finding yourself amongst a group ofmisfits. A great YA read for those intrigued by the circus.
57. The Lemonade War -Jacqueline Davies
• This was a fast readabout sibling rivalry, and incorporated some business scheme that really had megoing. It’s been a while since a realistic fiction for children really spoke tome, but I devoured this book!
58. The Best Christmas PageantEver - Barbara Robinson
• It's interesting to me that I've never read thisbefore. I was asked to read this to an afterschool care center. It actually wasreally fun to read aloud, and while I usually think that reading chapter booksaloud is hard (attention-wise) for the elementary set, this held them reallywell. 

Not quiteup to 60, so that will give me something to look to next year. Early in theyear went surprisingly well considering I was still in school (but also parttime). With graduation in May, moving into town, and starting a full time job,I don't feel too bad about not getting to 60. That's on next year's list.

Book Review: 11 Birthdays

A Book Review of:

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11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass

Summary: 


Amanda has not been looking forward to her eleventh birthday ever since she and her best friend Leo (who has the same birthday) stopped talking to each other a year ago at their 10th birthday party. After suffering through it, she wakes up the next morning just to realize that she has to live the day all over again-- school, gymnastics tryouts, and her crummy party!


Review: 


I started listening to this as an audiobook, which was very well done, but I checked out the book because I wanted to read more. This book is perfectly written -- from Amanda's point of view, Wendy Mass accurately depicts the feelings of Amanda as she experiences her birthday. From embarrassment, disappointment, and anxiety to her humor, excitement, and pride, Amanda's a very well-rounded character who is extremely believable and likable. Although there is the hint of fantasy (the repeating of a day over and over again), it reads like realistic fiction. It's a great story about friendship and generosity as well, and for anyone who has gone through a rough patch in friendship, it also proves to be a good example

Book Review: Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse Series, Book 1)

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After watching True Blood, I wanted to see how the book measured up. Plus, I was in the mood for a book that required a little less thinking. Coming into it from True Blood, I already knew what to expect more or less, and I wasn't let down. It differs from True Blood in terms of characters, but stayed pretty true otherwise. I really liked hearing it on audiobook because the narrator does a good job of characterizing Sookie.

It's good for a light quirky read. It's an easy romance-mystery novel, but she's not your normal amateur detective in that she's not very actively trying to figure out who the murderer is in her hometown, and you get a lot more of overall characterization than you do in Charlaine Harris's Grave Sight series. I'd recommend it if you like quirky paranormal romances with a bit of mystery.

Book Review: Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest

Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great book that makes the legendary story of Robin Hood accessible to girls, and lets them experience similar adventures from a girl's point of view. The protagonist is a young girl named Rosemary whose mother is part aelfin, which gave her some magical powers, most especially in the art of healing. Rosemary returns home one day to find her cottage burned down, and herself an orphan. Her mother had always told her that her father was Robin Hood, and so she sets out to find him. She feels alone and tries hard to make it on her own. Along the way to meet her father, she encounters several interesting characters who become her friends. She soon finds that she has inherited unique aspects of her mother and father's characters, and discovers who she is by the end.

This book is a great book for girls to read that will make them feel capable and ready for an adventure. Springer doesn't sugar coat how hard it is living out in the woods for Ro (who disguises herself as a boy named Rowan to protect herself), and she doesn't paint this time period as one that is easy for girls to live in. Nevertheless, Ro is a strong character that girls will find easy to relate to. The author uses some of the language you might expect for the time period, but it doesn't get in the way of reading it.

I would recommend this book to girls who like the Robin Hood tales, who like strong female protagonists, adventure, or books set in the Medieval Period (or stories with knights, kings, princesses, etc).

Nancy Springer is a fun children's author who takes interesting male characters and puts a girl's twist on them. She does this with her Enola Holmes series (Sherlock Holmes's younger sister). If you liked this, try that series as well.

See my post of Springer's book The Case of the Left-handed Lady, part of the Enola Holmes series. 

A Review: Forever...

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A Book Review of:

Forever..., by Judy Blume

Summary:


Katherine is a senior in high school and when she meets Michael, he makes her feel really special. Together, they explore their sexuality together, moving as slowly as Katherine needs to feel comfortable. It's the first time Katherine or Michael has ever said "I love you," to anyone, and when they finally have sex for the first time, they just know that they will be together forever. But when summer comes and they both take summer jobs in different states, their forever will be tested.

Blume, J. (1975). Forever. New York, NY: Bradbury.

Impressions: 

This book is frequently banned or challenged due to its unabashed look at a romantic young couple's first sexual experiences. The book doesn't hold anything back, and I can see why

A Review: Once I Ate a Pie

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A Book Review of:

Once I Ate Pie, by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest
Illustrated by Katy Schneider


Awards:
ALA's Notable Books for Children Award Winner
Beehive Children's Poetry Book Award
Virginia's Readers' Choice Award (WOOT!)
Young Hoosier Book Award

Summary:

This book of poetry tells the story of 13 dogs from their own perspectives-- of their misbehavior, their loyalties, and what they really like to do all day. From the puppy on the first page who admits he's afraid of the big world for now, to Mr. Beefy, a giant pub who admits, "Once I ate a pie," and to the end, where the now grown up puppy (from the first poem), to Wupsi who loves how cute he is, to Abby, who chews everything in sight, and others in between, we finally end with Luke, who is actually the now-grown puppy from the first pages. This book of short poems is for dog lovers everywhere who can see a little bit of their pets in each of these lovable characters.

Machlachlan, P., & Charest, E.M. (2006). Once I ate a pie. New York, NY: Joanna Cotler Books.

Impressions: 

This book is a hilarious way to get inside a dog's head. Using wonderful imagery and a great use of diction and word arrangement, MacLachlan and her daughter bring to life 13 dogs, some mischievous, some good. The words on the page, especially the shape and size of the words, reflect the words themselves. For example, for Pocket's poem (a small dog who thinks he's BIG), the word "tiny" is shown in small text, and the last line, "I am HUGE" is written in large font. Abby, a dog who runs off with things--slippers, socks, meat off a plate, and anything in a bowl, has words displayed all over, in arcs across the page, with big and small text intermixed. This gives you the feeling of the mess Abby makes in her house. Aside from the beautiful words, Katy Schneider's beautiful illustrations are funny, expressive, and capture the dogs perfectly. They are a perfect match to the text, and the combination of all of these things make this book a real treat.

A Review: Rapunzel's Revenge

A Book Review of:

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Rapunzel's Revenge, Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Illustrated by Nathan Hale


It's a GRAPHIC NOVEL! Woo-hoo!
Awards: American Library Association Notable Books for Children AND Young Readers' Choice Award

Summary:

Rapunzel was taken from her parents by Mother Gothel when she was a baby, and Rapunzel has grown up thinking that Gothel is her real mom.  She lives inside a palace with giant walls surrounding it, and she’s not allowed to see the other side. She finally sneaks to the other side and sees that everything beyond the palace walls is dead—the land is completely barren.  And she sees thousands of workers from the mine lined up to get a drink of water. It turns out that one of them is her real mother.

When she confronts Gothel about this, she is put into a prison cell at the top of a tall magical tree. She’s there for several years and her hair grows long enough that she can finally use it as a rope to escape. She meets an outlaw named Jack who agrees to help her get back to Mother Gothel’s palace.  Along the way, Rapunzel (or Punzie as Jack likes to call her) figures out that she can do a lot more than she can be a pretty good wrangler using her hair as a lasso, and she wants to get vengeance on the woman who stole her from her mother, imprisoned her, and made everyone’s lives in the kingdom miserable.

Hale, S. & Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury. 

Impressions: 

I love the Hales' take on this classic fairy tale. It's adventurous, fun, and transforms the Rapunzel from a quiet obedient woman waiting to be rescued in her high tower to a proactive girl with high hopes for rescuing her real mother and the rest of the kingdom from Mother Gothel's evil nature. It also makes Mother Gothel an even more villainous villain because she is a dictator witch ruling over the land which she controls because of her ability to make things grow or not grow. The budding feelings between Rapunzel and Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk tales) also show how awkward they both can be about confronting their feelings, but this also stops their feelings from taking over the plot. The artistry of the novel is very eye-catching and compliments the text well, conveying emotions and certain actions without words. It's a great way to get reluctant readers reading. Because graphic novels are considered "cooler" than regular books by many children and teens, this lends a certain appeal. It is also appealing because it's a familiar story, but it clearly has Rapunzel as a heroine, which girls will enjoy reading about. But just because it's got a female lead doesn't mean this graphic novel won't appeal to boys either! After book talking this at our library, it was clear that it was a popular choice among all teens, and having won the Young Readers' Choice Award, I'd say this backs that up. Boys will like the amount of adventure and action in the book, and the funny parts as well as the girls will. It's a great read for everyone.

Professional Reviews:



"The popular author of Princess Academy teams with her husband and illustrator Hale (no relation) for a muscular retelling of the famously long-haired heroine's story, set in a fairy-tale version of the Wild West. The Hales' Rapunzel, the narrator, lives like royalty with witchy Mother Gothel, but defies orders, scaling villa walls to see what's outside--a shocking wasteland of earth-scarring mines and smoke-billowing towers. She recognizes a mine worker from a recurrent dream: it's her birth mother, from whom she was taken as punishment for her father's theft from Mother G.'s garden. Their brief reunion sets the plot in motion. Mother G. banishes Rapunzel to a forest treehouse, checking annually for repentance, which never comes. Rapunzel uses her brick-red braids first to escape, then like Indiana Jones with his whip, to knock out the villains whom she and her new sidekick, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), encounter as they navigate hostile territory to free Rapunzel's mom from peril. Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action--Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody."

[Review of the book Rapunzel's revenge, by S. Hale & D. Hale]. (2008, August 4). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com 

"This version of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel is set in the old Southwest, complete with cowboys, coal mines, and coyotes. Rapunzel is a young girl living in a fortress with Mother Gothel, an enchantress who can make plants grow at her whim. Although their home is overflowing with fruits and flowers, it is surrounded by a wall that masks the desert and coal mines outside-Gothel owns everything, and the native people depend on her good will to keep their crops growing. When Rapunzel sneaks over the wall on her twelfth birthday, she sees the desolate world over which Mother Gothel rules, and she meets her real mother who was forced to give Rapunzel to Gothel at birth. To punish her curiosity, Gothel imprisons Rapunzel inside an enchanted tree that has only one window, far above the ground. Just as in the original version, Rapunzel's hair grows prodigiously. But this girl does not need a prince to climb up and rescue her. She uses her braid as a lasso to escape the tree and goes on many adventures that lead her ultimately to reunite with her mother and find true love in a boy named Jack, whose companion is an uncooperative goose. The Hale team creates an engaging heroine. Rapunzel gallivants across the unexpected setting, meets a cast of characters both humorous and threatening, and in the end comes to inherit the land that Gothel had stripped of life and returns it to the native people. This novel presents entertaining girl power at its quirkiest."

Lehner, L. (2008, October 1). [Review of the book Rapunzel's revenge, by S. Hale & D. Hale]. Voice of Youth Advocates. Retrieved from http://www.voya.com/

Other Uses:


Writing workshops are a great way for kids and teens to show off their talents and become interested in different types of  literature. Why not doing a graphic novel writing workshop? Show off some interesting graphic novels that have become popular lately, such as Rapunzel's Revenge, and then have them brainstorm and create the hero or heroine of their own story.

Then show them how they can create their own drawings, or they can pair up in the workshop with someone to  create a graphic novel. The workshop can be only one session, or it can be multiple sessions (this would be more effective). At the end of the workshop, provide instructions for them to complete the project, or see them through to the end, and have them present their handmade graphic novels for the group to see.

A Review: Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science

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Book Review of:

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science, by John Fleischman

Summary:

This non-fiction book for children and young adults gives an interesting look at how one man's accident in1848 that sent an iron rod through his brain left him alive, but completely altered in personality. This is Phineas Gage, a man who worked as a foreman in railroad construction until the accident made him lash out in angry bursts, unable to concentrate on tasks, and basically turned him into a different person.  Part description of this incredible accident and part look at how this came to be a huge breakthrough in what doctors and neuroscientists understand about the working of the human brain, readers will enjoy the shock and awe of Phineas' incredible story, as well as learning about medical conditions and practices in the mid-19th century and how the brain works.

Fleischman, J. (2002). Phineas Gage. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Impressions:


After learning about Phineas Gage in introductory psychology classes at William and Mary, when I saw this on my class reading list, I jumped at the chance to learn more. The book tells Phineas' story in the present active voice from the first sentence, "The most unlucky/lucky moment in the life of Phineas Gage is only a minute or two away," (Fleischman, 2002, p. 1). It gives readers the feel of how the accident went down, and it's truly one of those stories that, although somewhat horrific, is interesting in only the way that terrible accidents can be-- like watching a car accident. But it's not painted in an overly graphic way. Instead, the tone is scientific, and gives great background of the medical practices at the time, as well as information on different kinds of brain injuries, and a history of how doctors learned about the presence of cells and bacteria. After Phineas Gage's obvious wounds were patched, he began acting in a way completely unlike his old self. He was rude, indecisive, crass, foul-mouthed, and angry.  He lost his ability to interact socially. He ended up dying 11 years later from seizures that were probably another consequence of his brain injury from long ago. This remarkable story is not one to miss for any one-- children to adult-- who want to hear an incredible story of a man's accident and understand how the brain works. Alternating text with photographs and diagrams of the brain, this book makes non-fiction engaging and interesting. Complete with a glossary of terms, a list of resources for further reading, and a detailed index, this would be a great book for casual reading or for research.

Professional Reviews:

"Gr. 7-10. Railroad foreman and blasting expert Phineas Gage was hard at work in 1848 when an improperly prepared charge of gunpowder rocketed a three-foot-long iron rod through his brain. Bloodied and blackened, Gage remained coherent and surprisingly relaxed as he rode an oxcart back to town to get help. He survived the accident for nearly a dozen years, though his personality changed drastically: the once amiable man became crude and argumentative. The author combines this believe-it-or-not story with a history of brain research, including everything from phrenology to high-tech tools. The text is vivid, though curiosity seekers drawn in by the promise of a gruesome story will get bogged down in heavier sections on brain physiology and chemistry. The illustrations are well captioned but don't have enough visual interest to attract browsers for more than a moment. Report writers and science buffs will be the book's best audience. A glossary and an annotated bibliography help make this a terrific resource."

Meyer, R. (2002, March 1). [Review of the book Phineas Gage, by J. Fleischman]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

"The fascinating story of the construction foreman who survived for 10 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain. Fleischman relates Gage's "horrible accident" and the subsequent events in the present tense, giving immediacy to the text. He avoids sensationalizing by letting the events themselves carry the impact. The straightforward description of Gage calmly chatting on a porch 30 minutes after the accident, for example, comes across as horrifying and amazing. The author presents scientific background in a conversational style and jumps enthusiastically into such related topics as phrenology, 19th-century medical practices, and the history of microbiology. He shows how Gage's misfortune actually played an intriguing and important role in the development of our knowledge of the brain. The present-tense narrative may cause occasional confusion, since it spans several time periods and dates are not always immediately apparent from the text. Illustrations include historical photographs; one showing the iron bar posed dramatically next to Gage's skull is particularly impressive. Other photos and diagrams help explain the workings of the brain. The work of Gage expert Malcolm Macmillan, cited in the list of resources, seems the likely main source for the quotes and details of Gage's life, but this is not clearly spelled out in the text or appendixes. Like Penny Colman's Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts (Holt, 1997) and James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Phineas Gage brings a scientific viewpoint to a topic that will be delightfully gruesome to many readers."

 Englefried, Steven. (2002, March 1). [Review of the book Phineas Gage, by J. Fleischman]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Other Uses:

 Use this book in a book talk to introduce older children and teens to nonfiction books that might interest them. In this book talk, I would center my books around books that revolve around science, but also the horrific, because these tend to hook reluctant readers. Here are several options of other books to include in such a book talk. Book with pictures and diagrams are often good choices here because reluctant readers can sometimes be overwhelmed by text.

• Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science, by John Fleischman
• Bury the Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons, & Rituals, by Christopher Sloan
• Read my review of this book here-- This book discusses burial practices as uncovered by archaeologists in this book published by the National Geographic Society.
• Bodies from the Ash, by James Deem
•  About the bodies in Pompeii and Herculaneum that were recovered from the ashes of Mt. Vesuvius' AD 79 eruption. 
• Bodies from the Bog, by James Deem
• About bodies that have been recovered from bogs in Northern Europe.
• Science Fair Season: Twelve Kids, a Robot Named Scorch, and What It Takes to Win, by Judy Dutton
• An international science fair that shows that science fair projects can go WAY beyond growing plants in different kinds of water.

A Review: Bury the Dead

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Book Review of 

Bury the Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons, & Rituals, by Christopher Sloan
Foreward by Dr. Bruno Frohlich

Summary:


This non-fiction book for children and young adults describes different burial practices from past cultures up to today's practices for burying the dead. The burial practices covered include prehistoric burials, mummification in Egypt, golden tombs of the Amazons, the thousands of clay soldiers found in a Chinese emperor's tomb, tombs of the Moche lords of Peru, and a modern look at how we bury the dead in our own societies and how they might affect how people view us in the future. This book will satisfy morbid curiosities about ancient burials as well as teach a little anthropology and archaeology to show what scientists make of these remains and how anthropologists interpret them.

Sloan, C. (2002). Bury the dead. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.

Impressions:


Taking a topic and a book cover that will draw in lots of inquisitive minds, this National Geographic book by Christopher Sloan does a great job of introducing different burial practices throughout history to children and young adults. The language is not dumbed or watered down for children. It defines concepts throughout and provides a glossary at the back for easy reference, but also challenges kids to use their minds. With brilliant photographs of real burial practices, as well as imagined drawings of ancient burial rituals, it gives kids a view of the past, and translating that to how anthropologists study the past through scientific techniques in the present.

For kids who are naturally curious about morbid things like all of the things listed on the cover of this book-- tombs, corpses, mummies, skeletons and rituals, it is an enticing book. It is also easy to use and understand.  Each chapter features a case study of burial practices in a different part of the world. Organized from oldest to the present, day, it analyzes different practices in an unbiased way. In addition, the text isn't overwhelming, as it is broken up by great diagrams and photographs and some side bars.  With the type of research you'd expect from a National Geographic book, readers and parents of readers can see that this book is supplied with expert knowledge from very specific fields. Included are a table of contents, an index, and a bibliography that can aid interested readers with further resources.

Professional Reviews:

"Gr. 5-9. Kids will find it hard to resist picking up a book with words like corpses and skeletons in the title. And this one doesn't disappoint. Sloan, an editor at National Geographic magazine and the author of two previous books for children, does a terrific job of providing an intriguing, reader-friendly text that is not overshadowed by the fabulous color photographs from the National Geographic Society's archives. These pictures do not shirk from their subject: a full-page photo of a Peruvian mummy staring out from his burial cloth, his knees raised to his chest; a close-up of a "bog person" clearly showing, as the caption says, skin turned to leather by acidic conditions in the swamp. There are also many pictures of excavations, artifacts, and burial sites. Along with discussions of how and why people bury their dead are chapters on particular peoples and their traditions. There's material on the Egyptians, of course, but also on the Chinese, the terra-cotta soldiers of the Qin dynasty, and the Russian tombs of the Amazon women who lived between 800 and 100 B.C.E. Sloan had access to experts to vet his book, and it shows. This has the ring of authority and the look of quality."

Cooper, I. (2002, December 1). [Review of the book Bury the dead, by C. Sloan]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

"Gr 5-9-An exceptionally handsome book on a macabre topic. The lucid text discusses the why of funeral rites and internment and then presents a vista of burials, beginning with the shadowy reaches of far prehistory through the colorful tombs of ancient Egypt, the golden graves of the Scytho-Siberians, the horde of clay warriors surrounding the tomb of the first Qin emperor, and the caparisoned grave of the Moche Lord of Sip ne Peru. The author closes with an investigation into more modern burial practices and speculates on what they may reflect about our relatively recent cultures, with a note on offending ethnic groups when ancient burial sites are disturbed for research. Formal in tone, the book includes location maps; a time line; colorful diagrams; realistic artwork; and an array of clear, color photos (some may find that the close-ups of mummies, fleshless skulls, and other mortal remains make them queasy). For those who have been fascinated with such dynamic titles as James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Donna M. Jackson's The Bone Detectives (Little, Brown, 1996), and Johan Reinhard's Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden (National Geographic, 1998), this title will prove irresistible."

Manning, P. (2002, October 1). [Review of the book Bury the dead, by C. Sloan]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/  

Other Uses:


Around Halloween, have an educational program at the library for tweens and teens that discusses holidays that celebrate the dead such as All Saints Day, the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), and Halloween. Discuss what these holidays used to mean. Use this book to introduce different ways that people have buried their dead.

After a short talk about how people bury and celebrate their dead, do a craft project by making Day of the Dead masks. For a food component, introduce them to "Pan de Muertos" (bread in the shape of a skull and crossbones can be lots of fun!), offerings to the dead of "wine" (AKA grape juice) and bread. You could also take them through a "House of Horror" where they would have a blindfold on and be forced to feel brains! (spaghetti), eyeballs! (peeled grapes), ears! (dried apricots), and skin! (fruit roll ups).