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, June 9, 2015
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.
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.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
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!
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.
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.
Monday, June 1, 2015
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.
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.
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