Tuesday Storytime: Fourth of July

This was supposed to be a "vacation week" for Summer Programming, because of the coincidence of the holiday weekend and the American Library Association conference in San Fran last weekend through Wednesday.

However, I had a pile of families turn up (which I have to be honest, I sort of expected) so I did a short Fourth of July program with only one book.

Apple Pie 4th of July
Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
ISBN: 015202543X
Comic-book stylings for the characters, and minimalist backgrounds focus attention to the story.

Our narrator is a young daughter of a family-owned chinese take-out and quick-stop corner store.  She laments that they are open every day of the year except Christmas (even on the Fourth of July!) when obviously everyone knows that no one eats Chinese food on the Fourth of July!  Her certainty is assured and a bit overplayed, as the ending of course has happy revelers enjoying their Chinese food, and everyone retreating to the rooftops to enjoy the fireworks shows.  A great short course in tone and language and expectations.

Next week, back to heroes!

Tuesday Storytime: Summer Reading, Heroines

Our summer program for this past week featured a lovely Storyteller, and so I built off of the idea of her as the hero of the day to pick a trio of Heroine-focused stories for our family storytime that morning.  I was away, so I sadly didn't get to give the stories, but I have done all of them as performances or storytime titles before.

I tried to pick a nice variety of heroines, and I think I ended up with a fun sampling.

Flossie and the Fox
Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Rachel Isadora
ISBN: 0803702507
Reviewed here.

So so good.  Love everything about this story.


Daisy and the Beastie
Jane Simmons
ISBN: 0316797855
Soft-edged paintings showcase a duckling's-eye viewpoint on the big bad world.

Simmons has a set of Daisy stories, and I've read each and every one of them to storytime audiences and to relatives, but for some reason, Daisy and the Beastie is the recurring favorite.  Daisy and Pip are on Grandpa duck's farm, and he tells them the spooky barnyard story of the "beastie" - whereupon they set out to find it.  Daisy is plucky and opinionated, and I love how she cares for and reassures little Pip.  A quality heroine for the youngest readers.


Ladybug Girl
David Soman, illustrated by Jacky Davis
ISBN: 9780803731950
Origin story for a NYTimes bestselling phenom, and several other books.

Soman's Ladybug Girl is another where all of the books make the rounds of storytime when I need an instant classic.  Much like the Violet Mackerel series, Ladybug Girl shows off the development of social skills and moral behavior, without being overtly moralizing or sermonizing, or tying these universal human qualities to a specific religion or philosophy.  In this first installment, Lulu is bored and cranky inside, but she's too small to play in her older brother's ball game.  Ladybug Girl arises from the ashes of her cranky mood, rising up to conquer the challenges of playing alone and entertaining herself.


A solid trio, and while I was happy to be able to hand off a solid set of performers to my substitute, I was more than a little sad to miss presenting them myself!

Nonfiction: How To Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims

How to Raise an Adult: break free of the overparenting trap and prepare your kid for success
Julie Lythcott-Haims
ISBN: 9781627791779
In two main parts: first, an exhaustive indictment against modern helicopter parenting, second, a framework for building an authoritative parenting style that helps kids face and overcome challenges.

A little too much time spent establishing what's wrong (although I can see how she might think that she needs to convince people) but the advice is spot-on and direct, offering specific scenarios and talking points to help parents step out of the way of their kids, so the kids can develop life skills themselves, instead of just coasting along in the wake of their parents' organizational and problem-solving efforts.

Tuesday Storytime: Summer Reading, Rockets

I personally think that rockets are a little bit tenuous of a connection for Heroes, but I like rockets and space and astronauts, so I'm game for it regardless.

This first month, the actual Summer Reading Programs are all "event" programs instead of reading programs, which is nice from a work standpoint, and less nice from a literacy standpoint, so these very early childhood picture books are the only ones I've collected for this particular theme.  Once July hits, these posts will either be a bit longer, or split up between morning and afternoon programs.

Roaring Rockets
Tony Mitton, illustrated by Ant Parker
ISBN: 0753451069
Sketchy "crayon"-like art hides skillfully framed compositions, enhanced by an excellent vocabulary.

This book is really very nice, and a great one to start off with.  The illustrations are misleadingly childlike and simplistic, almost Boynton-esque with the big-eyed animals as our astronauts.  However, the illustrations are correct and labeled, and the narrative is chock-a-block with excellent astronaut terms and concepts, all rendered in deceptively simplistic phrasing and word-choice.  Some highlights "Rockets carry astronauts with cool white suits, oxygen helmets, and gravity boots."  and "Down comes the lander with legs out ready and fiery boosters to hold it steady."


On the Launch Pad: a counting book about rockets
Michael Dahl, illustrated by Derrick Alderman & Denise Shea
ISBN: 1404805818
Bright colored collages count down to a liftoff with a beautifully diverse crew of workers.

I think my first favorite thing about this book is the vibrant clarity of the colors popping out in every page spread.  My second favorite thing about this book is that the "cast" is made of men and women in equal measure, and of beautifully varied skin-tones and hair colors.  From the workers cleaning the rocket, to the engineers in the control tower, to the truck-drivers, to the astronauts themselves... all the way through to the one lovely lady pulling the launch towers away in her little cart - it's just nice to see.  An excellent primer on the various and numerous people and tasks necessary to get a rocket up into space, with a great visual twist at the very end.


This Rocket
Paul Collicutt
ISBN: 0374374848
Stunning paintings stand in contrast to showcase the diversity of rocketry science.

This is an absolutely beautiful book.  Technically, it's only about as long as On the Launch Pad, so I could have used this in the middle, but I wanted to slowly work through the concept sequentially, and felt like this one would be better after the basics of rockets and flight science were established by the other two books.  Beautifully-drafted illustrations contrast on each spread, with rockets that are either fast or slow, tall or short, rockets like cars, rockets like trains... The endpapers are equally stunning.  The front has detailed vignettes of each rocket in the book accompanied by dense technical explanations, and the back has a complex and beautiful illustrated timeline of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.  This book also shares On the Launch Pad's ending twist, but with a much more vibrant and lifelike interpretation.  Absolutely stunning book to showcase to the kids.

YA SF, The Cage, Megan Shepherd

The Cage
Megan Shepherd
ISBN: 9780062243058
First in a trilogy:  Cora, along with five other teens, wakes in a crazed warped-spacetime funhouse designed to superficially resemble various cultures and biospheres on Earth.

This was an interesting read, and a really good example of how to have a solid, tight, COMPLETE storyline and climax, while still leaving lots of good space for the remainder of the trilogy.

Cora is a solid character, and she attempts to befriend the others in the menagerie, but their own complacency and the capricious nature of their captors (zookeepers?) keeps her apart from them.  I really liked how Shepherd made Cora fight, mentally and physically, against their captivity, even when her actions weren't helpful or were actively hampered by the rest of the group.  Nice to see a really powerful girl kick back against the "victim" mentality.  

My one major quibble is that the kids are supposedly meant to represent human diversity, yet there are no black characters at all.  There are two darker-skinned girl characters, but one is dead before the story begins (which is unfortunately stereotypical) and the other is introduced as a crazed feral creature (which is also unfortunately stereotypical), and the one male "ethnic" boy is Polynesian or Maori - Pacific Islander, instead of black.  There is one other Asian character, and the remaining three (also the most important three for the majority of the story) are white.  On the one hand, I hate to dock a book because of casting choices, but when the premise is established as specifically as this was, it's a little noticeable when fully half of your "genetically diverse" menagerie is made of lily-white people, when the actual demographics of planet Earth are fundamentally different.  I was left with the stunning realization that if Cora herself had been a black girl, the story would have been in large part the same, but with an even more powerful engine behind her drive to never be a victim.  I have to think that alternate-universe version would be even more amazing.

Still, the book ends with our character group divided and split up, with the promise of more potential characters to add to the mix.  It's scheduled for May next year, and I'm already looking forward to it.

For people who want to read an entire trilogy at once with no waiting, I would highly suggest Shepherd's earlier trilogy; The Madman's Daughter, Her Dark Curiosity, A Cold Legacy.
    

Juv Fantasy: A Plague of Bogles, Catherine Jinks

A Plague of Bogles
Catherine Jinks, illustrated by Sarah Watts
ISBN: 9780544087477
Sequel to How To Catch a Bogle, focusing on former street-thief Jem.
Read June 10, 2015

This sequel starts off with Jem searching for Sal Pickles in righteous vengeance for her double-dealing in the first book.  Along the way, he comes across reports of bogle attacks, and takes them to Alfred, even though he's not only retired but moved across town.  Not in the least deterred, Jem forces Alfred back into bogling by strength of will (and a few skillful applications of guilt trips) until Alfred himself is hooked by the strange emergence of a plague of bogles.  The nightmare, child-eating creatures are solitary and territorial, so why are so many of them converging on Newgate Market area?  Is it because of the underground river?  The new sewer works?  The disruption of the church graveyard and crypts?  Or is there a more sinister and human explanation for the rise of creeping terror?

Just as much fun as I remember the first one, and I like the switch to the new protagonist Jem.  His obsession was well-played, and well-deserved, and I also liked the small touches that gave hints into his background without ever devolving into flashbacks or maudlin reminiscing (bogle-despair notwithstanding).

Excellent continuation, and we've got one more coming: The Last Bogler, from Ned's perspective.

Juv Fantasy: How to Catch a Bogle, Catherine Jinks

How to Catch a Bogle
Catherine Jinks, illustrated by Sarah Watts
ISBN: 9780544087088
Juv historical fantasy: Street-level London victoriana features an angel-voiced child as bogle bait.
Read last summer

I could have sworn that I reviewed this book when I read it, but I guess I missed it.

Birdie is the cream of the crop.  She's not a street-sweeper, or a thief, or a ragpicker or a mudlark, or even a lace or flower maker.  Oh no.  She's better than all those street trash, because she has a real job.  She's a bogler's girl, and she's the best that ever was.  Her voice is clear and childlike, and her courage is strong.  Besides, she's got to take care of Alfred, the old bogler.  He needs someone to care for him.

But Birdie has come to the attention of a lady academic, who is also taking an interest in the world of bogling, and pretty soon, Birdie is going to have to make some hard decisions about her life.



Really solid storytelling, excellent characters, and the bogles are creepy as hell.  Reminded me strongly of Y.S. Lee's (also excellent) Agency series, or of Berlie Doherty's Street Child.

Graphic Novel: Batman HUSH, Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Alex Sinclair, Richard Starkings

Our second Graphic Novel Book Club was the beginning of this month, and because of the Summer Reading theme of heroes, we decided to go classic with a good Batman story.

Batman: HUSH
Jeph Loeb
illustrated by Jim Lee
inked by Scott Williams
colors by Alex Sinclair
lettering by Richard Starkings
ISBN: 1401229921
Batman's detective skills are tested by a mysterious rash of villainy that all seems to center around creating personal stresses and tragedies for the caped crusader.

I enjoyed reading HUSH, and I enjoyed the group discussion even more.  The consensus seemed to be that the story was as good as the framework of the genre allowed it to be: in other words, there wasn't really a possibility for character growth and change, as everything has to revert to roughly the status quo at the end of the run for the next person to pick up the torch and go.  While to some extent, that's inevitable, for a story like this that tries to have such dramatic stakes, it really saps the urgency and power of the events to know from the start that nothing essential is going to change at all.

I personally thought the artwork was breathtaking, but I was also taken aback by the choice to make the menfolks as physically imposing as semi-truck cabs, while all the women were quite literally half their size, and less than half their mass, and often contorted into unfortunate poses to accentuate their assets.  It was visually effective, but it was also more than a bit irritating.

The story was interesting, and it was nice to see a good villain's gallery (which is part of why it was chosen) for Bats to go up against.  It was also nice to see references to history and other characters in the universe, even though with such a crowded cast list it was impossible for anyone to be treated decently.  There were some really powerful and disturbing moments (Bats vs Joker was physically difficult to look at) and some interesting set-pieces (the Bats vs a certain boy scout) which were fun, even if the set-up was occasionally highly improbable.

It doesn't make me want to run out and grab all the Batman stories, but it does make me want to keep an eye out for Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair's artwork, because that was really the clincher for me.  The dynamic movement of the scenes, and the mesmerizing color choices was truly stunning, and the best part of the experience.

Australian Science Fiction: Spare Parts, Sally Rogers-Davidson

I saw this book described online and I was intensely curious about it.  I'm glad I read it, but I don't know that I would describe it as a good book.  Still, an interesting near-future premise, and a very excellent job of worldbuilding a split society grappling with transgenetics and cyber-life.  

Spare Parts

Sally Rogers-Davidson

ISBN: 9781471095382

Shortlisted for the 1999 Aurealis Award, and a Notable Australian Children's Book for 2000.

Kelty lives in Melbourne, lower Melbourne to be exact.  She's a subby, and lives on the street level of the city, as far from the rich in their beautiful towers as night is from day.  She's been toying with the idea of getting away from her limited prospects by joining the Space Exploration Program; a move that will require her to transplant her mind into a cyborg body capable of withstanding the rigors of space.  Her decision is made more urgent when her best friend is gravely injured in a boiler accident, and Kelty's young, beautiful, virginal body is the only thing she owns of enough value to help pay for her friend's necessary medical treatments.  

This was a delightful premise, and the worldbuilding and sociology was deft and interesting.  The class divisions between the subbies and the Skywalkers were realistic and individual, while the concerns and moral questions raised about the morals of body-shopping and becoming a cyborg were interspersed with more philosophical questions about citizenship and choice and social currencies.

The story itself was not as interesting as it could have been.  Despite being quite frank about sexuality and body image/nakedness (this book would never ever ever fly as a children's book in the prudish  USA), the actual plot is rather disappointingly simplistic and naive.  Kelty sees a problem, sets out to overcome it, and does so.  There aren't really any huge roadblocks or massive difficulties in her way; by contrast, she's constantly helped by the people she meets, and even the "twist" of the story is a benign one.  I would have appreciated a bit more peril, to be quite honest.  

Still, it was interesting and thought-provoking, and I'm glad to have read it.

Juvenile Nonfiction: Chasing Cheetahs, Sy Montgomery & Nic Bishop

Another of the Scientists in the Field series.

Chasing Cheetahs; the race to save Africa's fastest cats
Sy Montgomery, photography by Nic Bishop
ISBN: 9780547815497
Excellent photography and clear text explain the work done by cheetah conservationists.

I am really digging these field-science books.  If I had science information like this available when I was coming through school, I think I might have been motivated enough to suffer through the math necessary to follow up my desire to be a scientist.  These publishers are just killing it with these quality nonfiction titles.

On to the specifics.  We are introduced via words and photos to a conservation park in Namibia, where scientists work with locals to educate people about cheetahs, and to rehabilitate injured or orphaned cheetahs to return to the wild, or to be tamed enough to become ambassadors visiting schools and being shown off, or to remain semi-wild members of the preserve to help socialize new generations of orphans or the injured.

There is a lot going on, and the book is densely packed with information about how the cheetahs are tracked, fed, kept, and worked with, in addition to the work done with the locals to help position them on the side of the cheetahs.  (that last part involves a whole specialized dog-breeding program!)

Beautiful work, excellent information, and just another amazing nonfiction book that I'm proud to have in the collection to inspire a new generation of scientists and nature-lovers.

New Arrivals: Early Reader: The Princess in Black, Shannon & Dean Hale, and LeUyen Pham

The Princess in Black
Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
ISBN: 9780763665104
Fairy-tale drawings don't quite do the spunky story justice.

I have to say, when it comes to perfect pairings, I would have thought this little book by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham would have been just about everything my heart could have desired.  This time, my knowledge of the previous works by these artists made this current book fall just a smidge flat for me.  Compared to the witty and poignant work on Rapunzel's Revenge, and the beautiful cameo drawings of Bedtime for Mommy, I just didn't think this short chapter book quite measured up.

It's a cute romp; we meet Princess Magnolia (what a lovely Southern name that is) in her fairy-tale castle, entertaining the nosy noble Duchess Wigtower (and again with the names!).  The duchess cannot know Magnolia's deepest darkest secret; she is also the Princess in Black, rescuer of the realm, defender of the innocent (usually livestock) and protector of the people!  When an ogre in the deep dark caves manages to forget why ogres aren't allowed into the world above, the Princess in Black gets an alarm.  Now she's really worried; what if the Duchess snoops while the Princess is away?

It's cute, don't get me wrong.  It's also a lovely little girl-power story, perfect for a self-rescuing princess or budding Black Widow fan who isn't quite old enough for more lively (or bloody) derring-do.  Still, I guess I just expected more from this particular trio.  

Graphic Novel: Dresden Files; War Cry by Jim Butcher & Mark Powers w/ Carlos Gomez, Mohan, Bill Tortolini

The graphic novel series of the Dresden Files gets another interesting and weird-magic entry in War Cry, this time dealing with the horror of the Red Court and of the shoggoth (think Lovecraft).

War Cry
Jim Butcher and Mark Powers
pencils by Carlos Gomez
colors by Mohan
lettering by Bill Tortolini
ISBN: 9781606905746

This story falls between Dead Beat and Proven Guilty in the novel sequence, and significantly after the events of Ghoul, Goblin in the graphic novel narratives.

This short graphic novel collection sees newly minted Warden Harry Dresden playing nanny to two wet-behind-the-ears baby Wardens, along with old friend and ally Carlos Ramirez.  The group of them is tasked with evacuating or protecting a midwestern coterie of Venatori (the Dresden Files equivalent of Potterverse Squibs; no powers, but lots of knowledge of the arcane world).

Of course, this being the Dresden Files, everything goes to shit before the story even properly begins, and the tiny outnumbered group is confronted with a night full of horrors.  Not to worry, Harry has horrors on his own side, not the least of which is his family.  The night may be long, but the sun always rises in the morning, and like any good Dresden Files story, there are going to be fireworks before the end of it all.

I'm not as thrilled with Gomez' characterizations of women (seriously, the sexy librarian trope has GOT TO STOP), but his work on Harry and the trio of Wardens is clear and defined, while the Red Court and the shoggoth are appropriately nasty and unsettling.

While I'm sad that the graphic treatments of the books hasn't continued (I was really looking forward to seeing the illustrated treatment of Grave Peril) I have to say that I'm enjoying these narrative interludes.  Now that the main sequence has gone so far down the dark and powerful path, I have not been keeping up with them, and these little short bits allow me to still enjoy the universe even though the current work is too depressing for me.  
 

New Arrivals: Picture Book: Rodeo Red, Maripat Perkins, Molly Idle

Rodeo Red
Maripat Perkins, illustrated by Molly Idle
ISBN: 9781561458165
Crisp Pixar-esque drawings and scenes dramatize sibling rivalry into an Old West showdown.

Molly Idle is amazing.  New picture books show up just about every week here at the library, and I try to check through them all.  Most of them I flip through and then shelve - they don't speak to me personally, so there's no need to review something that left me cold.  On the other hand, sometimes we get books like Rodeo Red through the gate, and I literally clapped my hands with joy when I saw it.  The best part is that while the cover illustration and a quick flip drew me inexorably inwards, the story by the masterful Maripat Perkins kept me glued to the narrative, which is rare for a picture book.  Excellent pairing, and I hope it continues!

You guys, this book is so goshdurned cute.  Our red-headed cowgirl and her partner, the (stuffed) hound-dog Rusty, are none too pleased when a new resident takes over the ranch (er, nursery) next door.  The new neighbor is rude, crude, and awfully grabby - and the last straw is when he grabs Rusty!  When the law (aka the parental units) cravenly takes the side of the newcomer?  It's just all too much to bear.  Our heroine is nearly overcome with despair until a new fancy posh animal arrives on the scene, and Red arranges for a prisoner swap to bring Rusty safely home.

So fricking cute.  Words fail.  Go check it out and feel your heart swelling with the adorableness.  

Fairy Tale / Fantasy: Uprooted, Naomi Novik

Uprooted
Naomi Novik
ISBN: 9780804179034
Beautiful and haunting fantasy-reworking of Beauty and the Beast.

This is the best book I've read all year, and I have read some truly mindblowing, amazing, masterful works of art this year.  This is it.  This is everything I ever wanted in a story forever and ever.  This is what I want to write myself when I grow up.  Nothing against any of the other wonderful authors and artists I've seen so far, or will see later in the year, this is just the pinnacle right here.

I simply and truly have no words.  If you know that this is a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, that it's set in a fantasy kingdom with an encroaching malevolent Wood, and a politically-unstable dynasty, and an enmity with the neighboring human kingdom, you have everything you need to know to read it and be thrilled and swept away.

I can't wait to read it again!

Tuesday Storytime: Summer Reading, What Makes a Hero?

Our second week of Heroic reads for my storytime, gearing up for the Summer Reading programs to start next week!  Today we talked about some of the character traits that make a hero: bravery, self-discipline, and cleverness.


Bravery
Oliver Finds His Way
Phyllis Root, illustrated by Christopher Denise
ISBN: 0763613835
Adorable little tubby bear-cub in muted, foresty colors, with the most expressive face.

I adore this book.  Oliver is playing in his yard and wanders accidentally into the forest and is lost - oh no!  He "cries and cries and cries" but he is still lost, so he wrinkles up his nose and starts to think his way out of his predicament.  I love that he rescues himself, and that he is afraid and crying, but gets over it and solves his problems with the resources that he has available.  A good lesson that heroic behavior isn't always visible to anyone else but you.


Self-Discipline
Karate Hour
Carol Nevius, illustrated by Bill Thomson
ISBN: 0761451692
High-impact compositions of photo-realistic black-and white drawings, punctuated by pops of color.

This is an excellent book, and I'm saddened fairly often that I can't find other good picture-book-level martial arts stories to match it up with for storytimes.  Thomson's illustrations are amazing, and the "story" of a class in progress is short and punchy, perfect for the short middle read.


Cleverness
The Clever Stick
John Lechner
ISBN: 9780763639501
Simplistic bright-hued drawings of stereotypical countryside.  Refreshing and easy on the eyes.

Our protagonist is a stick, and he's quite clever - he solves algebra problems, thinks about the nature of beauty, and wants to help the other woodland creatures with their problems, but he's a stick; he has no mouth, and can't talk at all.  He's stuck inside his own head, until one sad day sees him dragging his metaphorical "feet" and he notices the resulting line drawn in the sand.  Our clever stick becomes an artist, and shows off all his amazing thoughts to his friends and neighbors.  Another very excellent story about solving your problems and using interesting methods to help yourself out.

Glamourist Histories: Of Noble Family, Mary Robinette Kowal

Glamourist Histories, Book 5 (final of the series)
Of Noble Family
Mary Robinette Kowal
ISBN: 9780765378361
The couple get dragged to Antigua, to Vincent's estranged family lands, and find corruption and simmering hatreds.

This book is the last in the series, and Kowal doesn't hold back.  By now we expect that things will go as poorly as they possibly could for Jane and Vincent, so I suppose the failure was mine, in not imagining quite how bad that could really be.

Vincent's older sibling contacts him - his father has died, and there are administrative duties at the plantation that must be handled by a male heir - would Vincent please go?  A grudging acceptance is quickly regretted as Jane is revealed to be pregnant again on the journey, and even more unwelcome surprises await the couple once they arrive.

The conditions and realities of life on a slave-holding sugar plantation are not avoided nor are they glossed over.  They actually become one of the key points of the plot, as the very modern and kindhearted sensibilities of Jane and Vincent are confronted with the sad and horrible conditions that faced slaves of all sorts.

This was a much darker book than any of the others, and there is a lot of emotional and even physical trauma dealt out with a liberal hand to everyone.  Still, the setting and characters hold true (even new ones) and there are flashes of humor and even whimsy - our regularly-scheduled Doctor Who cameo is joined by a Princess Bride reference!  These lighten up the whole without trivializing the serious nature of the problems to be surmounted, and once more, I feared for the characters.

I'm sad to see the series ending, as I'm quite in love with Jane and Vincent, but I am impatiently waiting the next project coming down the line!

Glamourist Histories: Valour and Vanity, Mary Robinette Kowal

Glamourist Histories, book 4
Valour and Vanity
Mary Robinette Kowal
ISBN: 9780765334169
Jane and Vincent are off again, this time to Venice, to explore the potential of their glass-working magics.

Will their vacation go more smoothly than their last?  Nope!  Still, this is more of a caper than the miserable slog of summerless London.  Jane's hypochondriac mother is hesitant to let them depart from the family caravan through Europe - she's afraid that pirates will harm them on their way to Venice.

Pirates are a rarity, and the duo laugh them off, until their ferry is boarded and they, along with the other passengers, lose everything they own.  They fall in with a kindly older local gentleman, who takes them under his wing while they attempt to recover from the attack and move on with their plans, but the plot thickens, and soon they're reduced to living in a garret, penniless and adrift in a foreign land with hostile forces arrayed against them.

They'll need each other more than ever to win free of these entanglements, but can Vincent control his pride and shame?  Will Jane trust his strength when she needs it?

Once more, there's a certain Doctor on the premises, and those scenes add a welcome lightness to the plot.  Kowal seems to take a certain glee in tormenting her main characters, and Jane and Vincent are as beaten-down here as they ever have been in the past.  They'll have to be stronger, smarter, and trickier than ever, and I honestly worried in this book (for the first time in the series) that perhaps they wouldn't be up to the challenge.  That's a good storyteller there.

Glamourist Histories: Without a Summer, Mary Robinette Kowal

Glamourist Histories, Book 3
Without A Summer
Mary Robinette Kowal
ISBN: 9780765334152
Family plotting and the eruption of a faraway volcano create a frigid summer in London for our wedded duo.

Jane and Vincent are back in London after their eventful honeymoon, and they are both carrying scars both physical and mental from the traumatic experiences.  They hope for a relaxing and tedious summer of working glamourie for the moneyed elite, with the recommendation of the Prince Regent backing them.  In addition, this is the perfect time to host Melody's debut Season in town, since all of the eligible batchelors in their neighborhood were unfortunately made ineligible by the end of the first book.

Their hopes are in vain.  The frigid summer sparks a wave of unrest from the long-suffering and short-lived magical cold-mongers.  These specialized glamourists work with the dangerous and life-sapping magic of heat-moving, and are often poor, uneducated, and young.  The summer's chill means they have no work for this year, and many could starve.  Jane and Vincent are hurtled into a growing threat of riot, and Vincent begins to worry that his estranged family may be at the heart of this nest of rot at the core of the city.  He wants to make things right, but he fears for himself and for Jane - his vicious family, especially his ambitious and prideful father, will stop at nothing to succeed.

We've moved well on from lighthearted by this book, but the inclusion of Melody (and her budding romance, and her personal discoveries - I love Melody's character) makes a largely bitter pill go much easier.  Jane and Vincent are a treasure as always, and his family is a hydra-beast of a monstrous social and reputation-damaging enemy.  USA readers are accustomed to the rights of free speech, and so the legal implications of Vincent's actions are a harsher shock than perhaps they would be for the English.  Regardless, the stark contrast makes more than one character much more clearly defined, for good or ill.

Finally, this is the book where I realized that there is always a Doctor in the scene - I went back and scanned through the first two more carefully, and was delighted to see that my suspicions were correct.  Check the scenes with the Doctors, and think about time-travel and blue police boxes.  It'll come to you!        

Tuesday Storytime: Summer Reading Program: Heroes!

We're in June, and the Summer Reading Program has started (even if the programs for older kids don't start until after school lets out on the 16th).  I'm starting the local Heroes themes early for my Storytime kids, because if I'm going to be doing Storytime anyway, I might as well have it be themed for the summer.  :)

Without further ado, Heroes!

Superworm
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
ISBN: 9780545591768
Silly rhymes and sillier illustrations, with a Wizard Lizard and a community of creeping creatures.

Superworm helps out his friends in lots of ways - he's long and stretchy and imaginative.  Sadly, his do-gooding draws the attention of the grasping Wizard Lizard and his hench-crow, who put him to hard labor digging "treasures" from the dirt.  Sadly, no treasures are forthcoming, so Superworm is set to become crowfood, unless his friends can rally and rescue him.  I love that despite the title, most of Superworm's saves are of the mundane and silly variety, while the un-super friends are the ones to make the wild plan and defeat the big bad.  This one is on the list for the big kids later in the summer as well.


Chickens to the Rescue
John Himmelman
ISBN: 9780805079517
SC Picture Book Award for 2008-2009 school year.  Saturday-morning-newspaper comic style.

LOVE this book and the rescue chickens.  It's so deadpan and perfect, and the illustrations are just wild.  It's like the less talkative version of The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate The Wash in that really all I have to do is show the page and everyone gets what's going on instantly.  Lots of laughs from kids and adults.  On my permanent favorites list, and it's fun to have the chickens recognized as heroes.


Fireman Small
Wong Herbert Yee
ISBN: 0395689872
Colorblocks and smudged edges work with repetitive rhymes to keep the mood light and smooth.

I've used this book for lots of themes, usually firemen or other "community hero" ideas.  It's really sweet, it's an excellent book for the end of storytime, and it's a very sweet and low-key introduction to the concept of firefighters and what they do, and how a kind community treats them.

Glamourist Histories: Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal

Glamourist Histories Book 2
Glamour in Glass
Mary Robinette Kowal
ISBN: 9780765325570
Regency manners fall prey to Regency intrigue in contested Belgium during Napoleon's time.

The first book was a pretty, light, frothy novel of manners, with the main character ending up married off, and everyone happy and settled.  We even got a lovely (if vague, and fairly far-seeing) Epilogue that reassures us that everyone remained happy and settled, and that other characters were securely married off as well.  All of that appears to be well in the future, as Vincent and Jane have been hustled off on a honeymoon to Belgium by the Prince Regent himself.

Jane isn't sure this is the best timing, after all, Napoleon is only just barely captured, and Belgium has split loyalties.  Still, it's a chance to visit Vincent's old mentor and teacher, and to practice their craft together as professionals.  It would be remiss of them not to go.

However, once there, Vincent is acting strangely, and Jane isn't sure why: is it her condition?  his old mentor?  the tensions in the town?  is he regretting the marriage so soon?  All the while, things are getting worse and worse in the world outside - there are rumors that Napoleon himself is free, and on the march towards Belgium!

As the truth comes to light, Jane is going to have to put more effort into this marriage than she ever dreamed possible.  Will it all be worthwhile?


The story overall is a delight, and the characters are beautifully drawn.  I have to say, what I enjoy the most is that these stories feature a married couple working together - being married.  No big infidelities or betrayals, just the everyday work of trying to mesh with another flawed human being, with the added benefit of love to smooth out the edges.

Just lovely.