Tracking Trash

Book: Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion Author: Loree Griffin Burns
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
In a Nutshell: what Nikes can teach us about the ocean

In 1990, the cargo ship Hansa Carrier lost five containers full of Nikes overboard in a storm during a voyage from Korea to the U.S. As it turns out, sneakers float and stand up to ocean corrosion very well. An oceanographer named Curt Ebbesmeyer saw a golden opportunity to study ocean currents. He recruited the help of beachcombers all along the West Coast and beyond to report back to him where and when they found the shoes that washed ashore. Where they turned up taught him all sorts of things about how ocean currents work. Dr. Ebbesmeyer went on to track a lost shipment of plastic tub toys and plenty of other ocean-going trash.

I skimmed the book and found it interesting. It's pretty texty and in-depth on the topic, which is why I didn't read every word, but there are also good pictures and maps for browsers like me. If you're looking for solid info on oceanography, you'll find that here as well.

Pride of Baghdad

Book: Pride of Baghdad
Author: Brian Vaughan
Artist: Niko Henrichon
Audience: High School and Adult
In a Nutshell: escaped lions roam war-torn Baghdad

When Baghdad is bombed by US forces, the zoo is heavily hit, and what animals survive escape into the war-torn streets. Four lions- Zill, Safa, Noor, and the cub Ali- have different reactions. For Safa, freedom is a dream come true; Noor, who lived in the wild, prefers the safety of the zoo. It's up to the male, Zill, to hold them together as a pride. They face the dangers of other escaped animals, encounter dangerous new creatures such as herds of tanks, and learn more about the perplexing world of the Keepers as their world collides with the human world.

This graphic novel takes a powerful look at war from an animal perspective. For example, the old tortoise they meet by the river has seen it all before; he doesn't know what the conflicts are about, just that the humans make black death (oil) flow in the river every time. As if no food and the really nasty "pet" bear they find in an abandoned palace aren't bad enough, they have yet to cross paths with American assault rifles.

Be aware that this is an adult graphic novel; there is some language, graphic violence (I hope I never actually see a giraffe get its head blown off by a shell *shudder*), and sexual content. The sex is between lions and not graphic, but still disturbing in places where assault is portrayed.

Maturity level aside, this is a remarkable war story- and based on a true event, by the way. A group of lions did escape from the Baghdad zoo amidst shelling in 2003.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

Book: Secrets of My Hollywood Life
Author: Jen Calonita
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: teen superstar goes to high school in a wig and discount clothes

Kaitlin Burke is the sixteen-year-old star of Family Affair, the hottest show in primetime. She really needs a break from her back-stabbing co-star, Sky Mackenzie, so she enlists the help of her only "normal" friend, Liz. She convinces her mom, dad, personal assistant, publicist, bodyguard, and all the other people controlling her life to let her enroll at Liz's public school during a break in filming- in disguise, of course.

With her plain brown wig and clothes from the equivalent of K-Mart, Kaitlin is definitely safe from admirers. In fact, the In clique pegs her immediately as a big loser and treats her accordingly. One exeption is Austin, the cute, popular captain of the lacrosse team who, of course, likes Kaitlin and shrugs off his bitchy rich girlfriend to show interest in Kaitlin- for herself, not her money and fame, which is what she's always wanted. But when Kaitlin is mysteriously not part of the Rich & Famous scene as much, Sky smells a chance to get one up on her more popular costar, and Sky's celebrity guest appearance at the school's spring dance could ruin everything.

There's nothing all that different or memorable here; this book is likable but predictable. I will say that good-natured Kaitlin's story is a refreshing change from the glut of high society bitch-fest books out there to choose from (A-List, The Clique, etc. etc. ad nauseum). In the negative column, it really annoys me in books, this one included, when the author resorts to lots of high-end brand-name-dropping to pound home the fact that yes, these girls are really rich; stuff like "she grabbed her Gucci purse and Dolce coat and ran out the door." What do I care? A few times, okay. But constantly? Ugh. It also dates the book. My pet peeves aside, if you're looking for some decent chic lit, this fits the bill.

Please Don't Drool on the Authors

M.T. Anderson is one of my favorite authors. Notice I'm not prefacing that with "for teens"; he's just one of my favorites, period. Wait, make that my very favorite living author. As evidenced by all the 'o's I use when I talk or write about his books, as in: "I looooove M.T. Anderson." Well, I may add a few more 'o's yet, because I just got back from a discussion panel featuring him, Pete Hautman (who I also really like) and Alison McGhee, who I wasn't really familiar with before. They all did an engaging and thoughtful job discussing their views on teen literature in general, on writing it, reading it, and debating whether "albino squirrel" is a brilliant plot idea or just a noun.

I've never met a famous actor, but I think my reaction would be similar. Is it a sign of my unfettered bookworminess that I get all fangirl when my favorite author is in the room? That's okay. I can live with the geeky adoring fan stigma as long as it comes with a photo:

What a good sport he is. You think the National Book Award winner on the adult side of the aisle is so personable and wears such unflinchingly green sweaters? Well, I don't know. Maybe. I've never met him. But go buy M.T. Anderson's books anway. Feed. Thirsty. Whales on Stilts. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party. Any and/or all of them. This isn't just Anderson solidarity talking. The man is a genius.

Permanent Rose

Book: Permanent Rose
Author: Hilary McKay
Audience: Grades 4-6
In a Nutshell: waiting for a letter, shoplifting, searching for your real father, and other summer holiday activities

This third book about the lovably odd and artistic Casson family focuses on the youngest member of the family, Rose, although the whole family is in on the action. Their artist parents named all the children after colors on the paint wheel: Cadmium, Indigo, Saffron (not a color, but she's their adopted cousin- see Saffy's Angel), and Permanent Rose. Yes, that is her legal name. She was very sick as a baby, and her mother hoped that having "permanent" in her name would encourage her to stick around.

We pick up shortly after the last book, Indigo's Star, left off. Indigo and Rose haven't heard a word from their friend, Tom, since he flew back to America months ago, and Rose is beginning to worry that they don't mean as much to Tom as he means to them. It doesn't help that David, a big awkward kid, has gone from tormenting Indigo as a bully to hanging around the Casson house all the time hoping for Indigo's friendship now, which makes Rose mad.

Rose begins to explore her new-found gift for shoplifting. Rose also makes multiple attempts to get their distant father more interested in his family. By distant, I don't just mean emotionally, although there is that. I mean he lives in London with his girlfriend, and the family knows it. Their mother puts on a tolerant face, but it's not truly okay with her. Meanwhile, Saffy and her best friend, Sarah, are trying to find clues to Saffy's real father. Let's not forget free-spirited Caddie, who is engaged to "darling Michael" but seems pretty nervous about the one ring, one man concept.

I have a hard time talking up this series because it's all just family drama stuff, and I don't usually get into these kinds of books. But the Cassons are so wonderful, and funny, and lovingly dysfunctional, that I keep coming back for more. If you like quirky family stories, the whole series is a must-read.

I actually listened to this one. The reader, Sophie Aldred, does a decent job, but the first two books were narrated by Julia Sawalha- think Absolutely Fabulous or feather-headed Lydia in the BBC Pride and Prejudice. Sawalha did a fantastic job, and I was disappointed by the change. But whatchagonnado.

Blue Noon (The Midnighters, Book 3)

Book: Blue Noon (The Midnighters, Book 3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: the blue time rips and lets the midnight monsters out- or the people in?

Jessica, Rex, Melissa, Dess, and Jonathan discover that a rip is forming in the blue time, forming a space outside of Bixby where non-midnighters can slip into the secret hour unawares. The blue time is also arriving at unpredictable extra times, and each time it does, the red-tinged rip grows. They begin to realize that something huge is about to happen, and at midnight on Halloween the blue time rip will tear open wide enough to bring together the darklings and unsuspecting humans in a massive carnage-fest. Rex also learns from Angie, the woman who kidnapped him for the Greyfoots, who turned him into a part-darkling, that the lore is not the only side to the story. Mindcasters of past generations may have been selective with the good, rosy memories they chose to pass on, leaving all the shady dealings out. Now it's up to our young heroes to mend the rip before all hell breaks loose, almost literally. Jessica also discovers what her true destiny is- if she can find the courage to do what she must to save the world.

I thought it was a solid ending to the trilogy, if that's what it is. Plenty of action, adventure, creepy monsters, destinies to fulfill, and disorienting but interesting grey (make that purple) areas to deal with. Not only is blue time bleeding into normal time, but the easy good v. evil of their fight has gotten mushier with the new-found truth that their Midnighter predecessors weren't as perfect as they thought, and some of their enemies may prove not all bad.

Oddly Normal

Book: Oddly Normal, Volume 1
Author/Illustrator: Otis Frampton
Audience: Grades 4-8
In a Nutshell: green-haired half-witch accidentally makes her parents disappear

Her first problem is her name: Oddly Normal. Her mother is a witch from the alternate world of Fignation, and her father is the most normal guy you could possibly imagine. Her green hair & pointy ears don't win her any friends at school, and she resents her blissfully unaware parents for raising her as a freak in the real world without realizing what an outcast she is. When her birthday wish is that her parents would just not be there, she is shocked the next morning to discover that they- and the house- are actually gone without a trace. Her aunt takes her to live in Fignation w/ the fictional, mythical and imaginary creatures. She meets some nice misfit friends, but most of the folks at her new school seem to have it out for her, starting with the English teacher. Turns out the story goes back to before she was born, to when her mother was young.

This graphic novel goes on my list of fun, clever all-ages comics that have enough humor and meat to them to appeal to teens as well as grade-schoolers. The highlight of that semi-theoretical list is Bone- that kind of graphic novel. This is the first of four parts, all available out there in Book-buying-and-borrowing Land.

Life As We Knew It

Book: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: the moon gets closer and wreaks havoc

Sixteen-year-old Miranda is living the life of a normal high school girl until a meteor hits the moon and knocks it just a little bit closer. What with the moon controlling tides and all, giant tsunamis immediately destroy cities on any and all coasts around the world. Then the weather gets severely rainy, then severely hot, followed by severely cold and snowy: basically severe all around. And did I mention the dozens of instantly active volcanoes that blot out the sun with a constant grey layer of ash? There's also that. Miranda, her mother, younger brother Johnny, and older brother Matt must work harder and harder to survive as the power goes out, the well dries up, the food stores get lower and lower, and just when you think things couldn't get much worse, they do.

Good journal-style survival story with a twist: part surviving, part family drama as they all try to get along in increasingly close quarters and realize just how much they're willing to give up for each other.

I listened to this one on CD, and it was an okay reading by Emily Bauer. Too sweet-sounding for me; I read the first chapter on paper, and the voice doesn't match what I imagined at all. Still, an interesting addition to the survival story bookshelf.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author/Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Audience: Grades 4 to 7
In a Nutshell: a young timekeeper-turned-thief, a little mechanical man that draws little clues, and a not-really-dead film director in Paris

Hey, kids! Want to read a 525-page book in a couple hours? Want to read a book that seems a lot like watching a movie? Look no further!

Even before his drunken uncle disappears, assistant timekeeper Hugo Cabret does most of the work of keeping all 27 clocks in the Paris train station running smoothly. He lives and works behind the walls, only entering the station to steal food or small mechanical parts from a toy maker's stall. He is obsessed with fixing up a small automaton of a man that will write something when it's fixed; Hugo is sure the writing will be a message from his dead father (he has his reasons). Instead, it leads him to an early French silent film and its legendary creater, Georges Melies, who was supposed to be dead, but isn't.

Out of 525 pages, 284 are entirely taken up with original drawings by the author, plus there are photos, stills from silent movies, and reproductions of sketches by the real Georges Melies. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. The words and pictures blend seamlessly; the illustrations don't accompany text, they replace it in large chunks.

Cinematically presented story with mystery, action, and plenty of visuals: perfect format for telling a story about silent film.