Red Glove by Holly Black

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!



Cliffhanger.







How long until book three?



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Till Death Do Us Bark: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Book 3 by Kate Klise

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I do love the epistolary style of these books. And the characters have grown on me. Who knew from the beginning of book one that Mr. Grumply would actually turn out to be pretty cool?


Without giving too much away ... this one pulls in a new character. So that was kind of fun.


I read this in arc form (e-book arc form even) so the exact wording may change. But I liked this quote from page 86 just like it is so I hope it doesn't change.

"'What happens when you mess up?'
'Well, you learn your lesson. You make a small change. Then you try again the next day."


The only problem with getting to read book three early is that now I have to wait that much longer for book four. But I will for sure be getting this for our library collection. The kids are going to enjoy it.



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Heist Society by Ally Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


FUN! I almost thought about giving it a five for the sheer fun of it. And then I didn't ... just 'cause this is not a book you read for beautiful imagery or necessarily literary turns of phrase and for some reason I am stingy with fives. But I really enjoyed it.



This is a book you read for hijinks!





I actually listened to it on CD in the car. The last couple of days I've found myself sitting in my car for as long as possible just because I so wanted to know what was going to happen. ;]



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Kylie Jean, Rodeo Queen

Rodeo Queen by Marci Peschke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Seriously. How cute is this? I am not one to go for the sparkly pink titles (though I know my students TOTALLY do!) and I still enjoyed this beginning chapter book.



Kylie Jean dreams of becoming a beauty queen. In this particular title she decides one way she will accomplish this goal is by participating in the rodeo. As a fellow Texan of course this automatically caught my attention.



I can't help it. I loved the line when she visits the library to get a book on rodeo rope tricks. The librarian smiles but then shushes her ... and Kylie Jean tells us "Although it is true that I am known for being loud, on occasion"(29).



The story is fun. The characters are interesting (the dog is named Ugly Brother--that is just priceless!). The illustrations are winsome and quirky. There are great examples of description in terms of the writing. I think this is a winner.



There are some enjoyable (if a bit formulaic) extra discussion questions and activities at the end of the book, as well as a digital press and event kit. I was delightfully surprised to find 1)the author is a school librarian, and 2)the illustrator graduated from my alma mater.



I guess the only other thing I might say is that KJ learns to barrel race well enough to WIN in a very short amount of time. I am not sure that could really be done (if something is worth doing it takes some patience and effort!) and wonder if it might give some readers unrealistic expectations for themselves. That said ... I know I'll still be getting copies for our library.



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Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a lovely, lovely book of poetry.


The first one just sang to me. I also loved the one about the night spider.


Now the question ... as it's not silly (and that tends to be the thing that GRABS most of my poetry loving students) ... how to get them to love it as well? Will have to work on that one.


See the video preview here.


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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well. I didn't love it as much as everyone else seems to have. That said ... it DID make me want to visit Paris. Or even better yet live there for a while.



But I didn't feel like Anna and Etienne's relationship was quite as believable as I would have liked. There were some definitely nice moments. My apologies for reading it so quickly I didn't stop to take note of them better. They were there! But to excuse their terrible behaviour (cheating on relationships and not being truthful with friends)? I just didn't feel that. People are not perfect, though, so I guess characters shouldn't be. Maybe a three and a half, just to be fair? I did like it. Just didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE it.



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The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Adorable illustration and realia (and pop-up at the end). Just ... did I miss something? Where was the story? I didn't see one. Even wordless books have a story. I missed it here ... but the pictures were so cute.





My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story by Jamie Lee Curtis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I like JLC's books (and I rarely say that about "celebrity authors"). This one is cute enough. Puts some big pressure on a mom. Rhymes didn't feel super forced. Just ... a bit excessive.

Not as fond of the illustrations. But that's more personal preference than saying they were not well dine.



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