Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Book: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
In a Nutshell: vignettes on medieval life for one or two readers

And the Newbery goes to... a collection of 17 short portraits of young people living in a medieval English village. Mostly written in different poetic forms, and all intended to be read aloud as monologues or two-person vignettes. The word portraits are simply illustrated in the style of a medieval illumination or tapestry, and interspersed with simple introductions to related historical topics such as Pilgrimage, the Crusades, and Falconry. A full stratum of society is represented, from the lord's daughter to the miller's son to the village half-wit. The characters and their stories often overlap or interact with the the one right before or after, but there is not an overarching story- more like a poetic cycle that gives an overall picture when taken together.

The book does an excellent job of combining historical facts and effective, three-dimensional characters fleshed out in very few words. As this year's Newbery winner it seemed to come out of left field for many fans of kid lit (as they often do), but I see what the Newbery Committee was thinking. It stands out in terms of quality of writing, facts, illustrations, and physical layout. As oral monologues I think some are more accessible than others for a grade school reader, but that's not a requirement for handing out Newberys. Enough of the characters' poems are accessible that many young readers will find at least a few they like. And if the shiny medal on the cover, which makes it a shoe-in for school library shelves around the country, starts a revival of readers theater in history and English classrooms around the country, then good for the author.

The Green Glass Sea

Book: The Green Glass Sea
Author: Ellen Klages
Audience: Grades 4 to 7
In a Nutshell: Our parents invented the atomic bomb- how about yours?

In 1943, Dewey Kerrigan takes the train alone from Chicago to New Mexico to join her scientist father at the secret location where the world's greatest scientists are working on "the gadget." She is a smart girl who loves to tinker with mechanics, and is more comfortable around adults than kids her own age. And at Los Alamos, most of the adults are world-famous scientists, which suits her fine.

Suze Gordon tries desperately to fit in on "The Hill", but the popular girls call her "the truck" behind her back. She protests when "Screwy Dewey" comes to stay with her family when her father goes to Washington for several weeks, but the two girls gradually come to an understanding, then find friendship.

Against the backdrop of Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project, the girls live their lives, unaware of the enormity of what their parents are creating; and really, the adults don’t understand it themselves.

Interesting look at a pivotal scientific acheivement and the community that grew up around its creation. I found it a bit slow at times, but nicely written. Dewey and Suze are nicely fleshed out, although only a few of the other characters feel real; which is ironic, since several of them actually were real historical people. I expected more from a few of Dewey's adult friendships that were set up but never explored.
Dewey's voice occasionally shifts from present to past tense, which didn't really work for me; I found it distracting. But aside from the picky stuff, it's a great picture of life not just during WWII, but in a historic ad hoc community.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

Book: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
In a Nutshell: super-powered klutz finds long-lost family and destiny

Listen, I only have a few minutes, so pay attention. If my fellow librarians find out that I’m talking to you, they'll tie me to an altar made of outdated encyclopedias and make me their latest sacrifice. It’s no less than a traitor like me deserves, but the truth must be told.

The truth is, you and everyone you know are living a lie. You think there are only 7 continents? You think Tyrannosaurus Rex was a huge, ferocious beast? I bet you even think dinosaurs are extinct now. Lies! All lies spread by Librarians and our henchmen in order to control information, and therefore the world. You've probably never even heard of Alcatraz Smedry, thanks to our cover-up. You Hushlanders have no idea how important the Smedry family is, or how great their powers are. Even Alcatraz himself, the great hero of the Free Kingdoms, didn't know until his thirteenth birthday, when he received a small bag of sand in the mail, with a note from his parents. His parents disappeared when he was a baby, and he was raised by a long string of foster families, so you can imagine his confusion. But things get even more confusing when the sand is stolen, his grandfather shows up, and Alcatraz finally learns about his family. For one thing, he and his grandfather are Oculators; they can use specially made eyeglasses to do all sorts of cool things, from tracking footprints to firing laser beams. But there's more: each Smedry is born with a special Talent. These Talents are admired and envied across the Free Kingdoms- heck, we Librarians have been trying to get them for centuries. And Alcatraz has a rare gift indeed, the kind that legends are made of. Almost everything he touches breaks, especially if it's mechanical. His grandpa has the Talent of arriving late to everything; his cousin Sing Sing has a Talent for falling down.

What, you don't think those are useful Talents? Then you have obviously been brainwashed by Librarians. All the Smedry Talents will come in very useful when they undertake their dangerous, and foolish, mission: infiltrating the downtown Library to recover the sand and defeat the Dark Oculator.

Oh no! I see a hair bun and some horn-rimmed glasses headed this way. My time is up. Read Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians, supposedly written by Brandon Sanderson, but really by our hero, Alcatraz. But please, read it soon- before the Librarians pull it off the shelves for good.

Igraine the Brave

Book: Igraine the Brave
Author: Cornelia Funke
Audience: Grades 3 to 5
In a Nutshell: singing books, piggie parents, and girl on a quest

Igraine is the daughter of the great magicians Sir Lamorak and the fair Melisande, and sister to young magician Albert. They live together in Pimpernael Castle, protected by a magical moat, gargoyles, and roaring stone lions. Igraine is not very interested in magic herself; she would much prefer to be a knight. When her parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs, and then a nasty new neighbor beseiges the castle and demands their famous singing spell books, she finds her chance to save the day. With the fine stallion Lancelot ("borrowed" from a neighbor) she rides in search of giant's hairs to reverse the piggie spell. Along the way she meets the self-exiled Sorrowful Knight, who reluctantly joins her in her quest to save her home.

Cute fairy tale story for younger readers. I've never been completely in love with Funke's books, mostly because they're in translation from German, and though the translators do a good job the books still feel once-removed to me. From a half-full perspective, this story uses a moatful of well-loved fairy tale elements all together in one plucky tale. For the half-empty half, I found it a bit pedestrian- like she cobbled together all the most cliched fairy tale elements into one story, though in a mostly likable way, if you're not looking for a lot of originality. Would work well for younger readers or listeners even younger than that- good readaloud for second graders, I bet.

Good reading by Xanthe Elbrick on the audio version.

The Arrival

Book: The Arrival
Author: Shaun Tan
Audience: Ages 10 to adult (seriously!)
In a Nutshell: wordless tale of immigration, only with crazy critters and surreal scenery

I don't know where I first read about The Arrival, but whoever it was, they were really psyched about this Australian book's American release. And whoever you were, you were right. Done in sepia tones in the style of a faded, aging scrapbook, the masterful appeal of this graphic novel defies easy description; you just need to pick it up and see for yourself. The story is an old one: a man leaves his wife and daughter to emigrate to a strange country, where he hopes to earn enough money to bring his family over and start a new life. The reasons for leaving are vague but sinister: huge shadows from spiky tails, tentacles, or worse are cast over everything. The written language in his new country is unfamiliar to the man, and to the reader, and the feeling of incomprehension and confusion comes through amazingly well.

The man meets people along the way who help him, and tell him their stories of how they came to live there. The first friend he makes is actually a little creature that makes himself right at home as a loyal pet. The presence of fantastical creatures and the very surreal, stylized, larger-than-life look of the city and countryside are brilliant ways to jolt us jaded modern people into the sense of wonder and intimidation that newcomers anywhere have felt for centuries, especially entering huge, New York-esque cities.

Even though it's wordless, resist the urge to flip through quickly. The longer you spend on each finely detailed page, the more you'll see. Considering this book, Printz Award-winning American Born Chinese, and National Book Award finalist The Invention of Hugo Cabret, graphic novels as a mainstream literary art form have taken some serious steps forward in the past year or two.

Clementine

Book: Clementine
Author: Sara Pennypacker
Audience: Grades 2-4
In a Nutshell: haircuts, ceiling snakes, and a war against the pigeons

Third grader Clementine is always paying attention, but not to what her teachers expect. She means well and tries to help, but always seems to end up getting in trouble, like when she helped her friend Margaret cut her gluey hair off and colored on some new hair with her artist mother's permanent markers. She is very familiar with the principal's office- so much so that she answers the phone- and she's a little worried that there are ceiling snakes because of how often Mrs. Rice looks up at the ceiling when Clementine is in there. She calls her toddler brother a variety of vegetable names because it's not fair that she got stuck with a fruit name and he didn't (we never do learn his real name). She helps her dad, the apartment building manager, in his daily war against the pigeons, and that may be what keeps her week from being really crummy.

Very funny, sweet, and spunky. Good for the Ramona or Junie B. crowd.

Good reading by Jessica Almasy.

Victory

Book: Victory
Author: Susan Cooper
Audience: Grades 4-7
In a Nutshell: two kids, two centuries, one ship, and one set of memories shared

Molly Jennings misses England. Her mother married an American, and now Molly, her mother, and her new baby brother live on the East Coast. In the midst of missing home and friends, hating sailing, and hating her step-brother's obnoxious best friend, Molly stumbles across an old book about Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. She's never been particularly interested in naval history, but she feels strangely drawn to this book. Hidden inside the cover, she is amazed to discover a piece of the flag flown over Nelson's ship at Trafalgar, the H.M.S. Victory. According to the note, it's been passed down from a boy who served with the Admiral in that fateful battle; his name was Sam Robbins. Molly begins to hear strange noises, see strange things, and remember bits of dreams that seem like memories; except she's never been at sea, and she's never been in battle. And the memories get stronger all the time.

Sam Robbins and his Uncle Charlie are press-ganged into the Royal Navy when Sam is only eleven- legally kidnapped when Her Majesty needed more sailors. Although it's a difficult adjustment from farm boy to the harsh life of a sailor, Sam grows to love the sea and, like all his shipmates, love Lord Nelson. He is proud and honored when Nelson makes Victory his flag ship for the coming battle against Napoleon's forces, but he's also scared; he's never seen real battle. He knows it won't be pretty, but nothing could prepare him for the horror and grief of what he witnesses.

Molly and Sam's stories come together in a dramatic battle climax as two characters separated by 200 years are joined by one scrap of flag and intense memories that mysteriously bridge the centuries.

British school children learn about Lord Nelson the way Americans learn about Abraham Lincoln, maybe- pick an iconic hero and you've got it. I admit, if someone had asked me about Nelson before I read this book, all I would've remembered was that he's the pigeon-covered guy on the column in Trafalgar Square (apologies to Mr. McKean, my European Civilizations teacher: you tried). So this story was a good history refresher disguised as a sea story for you fans of nautical adventures. There is also touching family drama as Molly comes to terms with her new home, stepdad and stepbrother, as well as finally, properly saying goodbye to her father, who died in a plane crash at sea several years earlier. All nicely tied together with a thread of mysterious fantasy.