Patrick Jennings Visit

With the release of his newest novel LUCKY CAP this past Tuesday, Patrick Jennings has now authored 16 books. 16 books! And how is it that I am just discovering this man?

On Monday morning our fifth graders had the opportunity to sit down with Patrick (Or Pato as we are now allowed to call him because we are friends) and listen to him speak about writing books, wanting a dog, and the deaths of many pets. He was wildly engaging and the students loved him!

While reading GUINEA DOG, I was marveled at Jennings' dialogue and the way he was able to create such an authentic, realistic first person narrative. As someone who aspires to write their own novel(s) for children someday, this was my burning question I wanted answered. Give me tips! How do you get inside the mind of a pubescent boy? I didn't take advantage of the opportunity to ask him because I didn't need to. Within minutes of meeting the man the answer was obvious. He's a big kid himself!

A former preschool teacher, Jennings loves children. He hosts writing groups of children in his own home (Pato's Cave) and he admitted to learning more from them than they probably learn from him. The presentation he gave us was totally centered around the kids. No PowerPoint presentation. No bulleted outline to follow. Just Patrick Jennings and an easel. We arrived at 9 o'clock for an hour long experience (his first of many throughout the week) and at 9:45 he glanced at his watch and asked "How long do I have you for?" It felt like we had only been listening to him for 15 minutes! (We didn't leave until 10:20, stretching out 20 more minutes than we should have). He was so personable and so engaging. He really made the kids feel like he was there for them. He even jotted down some of their names to possibly use in future books! We were the first group ever, to hear him read from his novel LUCKY CAP, as it was only a day away from being released. He even shared some information on an upcoming novel of his (which he finished writing in our local coffee shop Cup of Joe!) about a group of kids investigating the mysterious (and somewhat out-of-this-world) disappearance of dogs around their community. I will be pre-ordering from Amazon as soon as publication is announced!

The following day, Tuesday, I ran into Patrick at our post office and as I'm doing a double-take toward the door he's fast approaching me, hand extended. "You're a teacher here, right?" he asked, shaking my hand. I never introduced myself to him on Monday! How is it that this man picked me out of the crowd? We chatted for a bit and he is incredibly down-to-earth (he rented a bicycle and was seen pedaling throughout town all week!) He is so interested in other people and very approachable. I returned Thursday night for his free-to-the-public book talk and as I entered the room he waved from the opposite corner and greeted me "Hi Jordan!" Well Mr. Jennings, you've got yourself a new mega-fan!

We have hosted a lot of authors through Cedar Valley's Youth Read and entering this year, Patrick Jennings was probably the one I knew the least about. That being said, he is easily the one I have enjoyed the most.

Now I have some reading to catch up on . . . 15 books worth!

The Trouble With May Amelia

I have not read OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA by Jennifer Holm. My first foray into the world of Ms. Holm came in reading TURTLE IN PARADISE this past year. Historical fiction is not always my cup of tea and perhaps that is why TURTLE IN PARADISE impressed me so. A genre of book I don't normally read for pleasure, yet I couldn't get Turtle and her Diaper Gang of cousins out of my mind. Anytime a book catches a reader off guard in a good way, it tends to linger on and leave a lasting impression.

Written in the same spunky, first person narrative style as TURTLE IN PARADISE, THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA grabbed me with it's opening sentence:

My brother Wilbert tells me that I'm like the grain of sand in an oyster. Someday I will be a Pearl, but I will nag and irritate the poor oyster and everyone else up until then.

May Amelia is far from irritating to me as a reader, but to her father and family full of boys, she's nothing but trouble. She's witty, she's strong-willed, she's not near as proper as she's expected to be, and she never lets anyone get the best of her. She's learned how to survive as the lone girl in her small pioneer farming community of boys in 1900, Washington State and she refuses to take guff from any of them. That is, until a business man comes to Pappa with a proposition and he needs May Amelia to translate to Finn for him. Suddenly, May Amelia begins to wonder herself if she's good for nothing.

As with TURTLE IN PARADISE, the strengths of this book come in May Amelia's voice, Holm's impeccable characterizations, and her strong sense of setting. Details specific to the time period and setting (such as the Dunking Box at school) make the dark, damp, and chill of Washington State in 1900 come alive off the page. And through May Amelia's eyes, each character grows and develops in realistic fashion through the course of the book. Her siblings are almost as memorable as the Diaper Gang!

Life in 1900 was a lot of work and Holm sugar coats nothing. The manual labor of maintaining a farm was not easy and each child shares the load. Pappa's job at the lumber mill is dangerous and when some of May Amelia's brothers are forced to work there as well, the danger is intensified. Balancing this gloom with May Amelia's witty humor, is done exceptionally well.

The thing that impressed me so while reading TURTLE IN PARADISE was how Jennifer Holm's figurative language was so fitting to the narrator's voice. The same is true with THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA. Every word from May Amelia was a word I fully believed she'd say. Look at some of these writing samples:

• My brother Wendell wants to be a doctor, so he doesn't hold to things he can't squeeze between his fingers.

• Sunday is a day of rest but nobody bothered to tell the big bear who knocked down the fence in our field where our sheeps graze.

• It's spelling time and I'm starting to see Berle's point of view. Not much use in knowing how to spell words on a farm. The cows don't care if we can spell "hay.' All they want to do is eat it.

• Sorry about stealing your teacher away, Mr. Clayton says to me. A good wife is hard to find. A good teacher is even harder to find, I reply.

In terms of plot, THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA may be even better than TURTLE IN PARADISE. It's a little tighter and not so far-fetched (as TURTLE became near it's conclusion). I do realize it's a little unfair to compare the two, as Holm has authored a book about May Amelia previously and Turtle is not even in this same universe, but TURTLE IN PARADISE is the only other Holm book I've read and the similarities were so striking, it was hard not to be reminded of it.

I debated about whether to read OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA first but decided against it. Often times when discussing the Newbery Medal and "sequels" the debate of whether or not the title can "stand alone" is brought up. When Newbery discussions heat up this winter, I fully expect THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA to be brought up. Not having read this book's predecessor, I can now attest to its ability to "stand alone".

Jennifer Holm is no stranger to the Newbery (Honoring in 2011, 2007, and 2000) and here's hoping THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA only follows suit!

Final Grade: A

Cedar Valley's Youth Read

Each year, the public libraries in the Cedar Valley join forces and help fund an author visit for our communities' fifth grade students. Being a fifth grade teacher, I joined this committee and now get to meet our selected authors as well! My first year teaching, I met Christopher Paul Curtis. The next two years I met authors Cynthia DeFelice and Will Hobbs. Meetings with Gennifer Choldenko and Wendy Mass followed those up.

This year, we welcome Patrick Jennings to the Cedar Valley, author of OUTSTANDING IN MY FIELD, WE CAN'T ALL BE RATTLESNAKES, and our focus book for his visit GUINEA DOG, just to name a few.

I have to be honest, before this I hadn't heard of Patrick Jennings. A coworker had read THE BEASTLY ARMS and loved it and another coworker had read THE WOLVING TIME and found it to be "odd." I had seen OUTSTANDING IN MY FIELD grace the pages of our Scholastic book orders, but had never purchased it or given it a read myself.

Our committee was working on a tight schedule and wanted to lock someone in place for this year (as we have someone big locked in for next year). Jennings was available, he was an author, and he has published tons of kid-friendly books, so we snatched him up. Little did I know, he's incredible!

Last year blogger Betsy Bird reviewed GUINEA DOG and had this to say about Patrick Jennings:

You've read him, right? No? Well that's fine with me. It's like when you discover this cool underground band, and you get to be their biggest fan all by yourself. It's great. You walk around with this knowledge in your head of, "I am into something incredible that only I know about." That's how it is with Patrick Jennings and me. Problem is, I keep recommending his books to the kids in my library. And if I keep this up, I may end up unexpectedly creating a whole host of Jennings fans. Then he'll get hugely popular and go mainstream and I'll have to share him with the rest of the world.

She went on to include GUINEA DOG in her list of 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010. With her high praise, I approached GUINEA DOG with fairly high expectations.

GUINEA DOG tells the story of Rufus and his plight for a pet dog. His obsessive father works at home and refuses to give into Rufus' request. His mother, feeling sorry for him, compromises by bringing Rufus home a guinea pig. But Rufus wanted a dog. And no matter how dog-like his mohawked guinea pig Fido acts, she's still a guinea pig. How will Rufus' new pet be received by his classmates? By his best friend Murphy? Will he ever get a dog?

First person narratives are popular in children's literature, which I find a little odd, given that most working authors are adults. In my opinion, first person narratives can be tricky. It takes a special author to truly climb inside the mind of a young person and project their thoughts and see the world through their eyes. And do it in a believable way! Jennifer Holm is one of the best. Andrew Clements is a master at getting inside kids' heads. Well Mr. Jennings, I just may have to add you to that list.

I was so impressed with how Patrick Jennings captured Rufus' voice. Read aloud in my classroom, my fifth graders laughed hysterically numerous times. They felt that this was Jennings' strongest feat (and I agreed). My class felt as if Rufus was one of them. He's funny. He's wry. And above all, he's believable. That's not always easy to accomplish in children's literature but Jennings has. He really knows how to speak to kids. Even his adults are spot on.

While being an easy read, there are some surprisingly deeper themes at work here too, especially about friendship and acceptance. Rufus is friends with Murphy. Best Friends. Dmitri wants to be Murphy's friend because Murphy is incredibly popular and welcoming to everyone. Rufus and Dmitri are not popular. The tension between the three is well written and drew my students in almost as much as the hi jinks involving Fido did. That should tell you something!

I'm very excited to meet Patrick Jennings now. There are some particular plot details I'd love to hear his explanation on. For instance, the reasons behind Fido's dog-like characteristics are never fully disclosed. Why does Fido act like a dog? Is Fido's purpose to teach Rufus sometimes life surprises you when you least expect it to? And what about the mysterious pet store from which Fido is purchased . . . why does it disappear? Where does it go? Did it ever really exist? Where did Fido actually come from?

GUINEA DOG was a funny, clever, romp of a read. It would be a perfect fit with reluctant boy readers, around 4th and 5th grade.

Final Grade: B+

Small Persons With Wings

I'm a slow reader. Each year, dozens of books are released that I would love to read and I only get around to reading about two of them. What happens then is I spend the next year reading books from the previous year while more dozens of new books are released that I want to read as well. It's a vicious cycle and I always feel so behind. So this year I set a goal for myself, to read 10 books published in 2011. I can fill the rest of my time spent reading with whatever I want and this way, still feel current. The first book I could get my hands on this year was Ellen Booraem's SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS.

When she was young, Mellie Turpin's best friend was a fairy. A fairy named Fidius to be exact. After announcing this to her classmates at school she's made fun of and called Fairy Fat, a name that sticks throughout the years and turns her into a social outcast. Little does she know (and soon does she find out), that her family serves as protector of an ancient fairy artifact known as the Gemmaluna, a moonstone ring that stores all of the fairies most natural, true magic (Magic Vera). The fairy community wants to get back to their roots and become one with their ancient magic once again, but to do so they need the Gemmaluna. Mellie's family is ready to rid themselves of the responsibility, but someone in the fairy community wants the ring for themselves. And they'll stop at nothing to take it.

With multiple starred reviews, this book has already caught the eye of some folks making early 2012 Newbery Medal predictions. Without reading anything else the year has to offer yet, I can definitely see why. It's very strong in voice and language. Mellie is cynical and witty. She's an outcast because of her weight (something not often found in children's books) and her belief in fairies. She's a hard person to like because she's such a smart aleck and even when people reach out to her, she lashes out keeping them at bay. Because of the way she's been treated in the past she's hardened. But this is what makes her such an endearing character too. Despite the wise-cracks and the sarcastic tone, Mellie is a girl longing for attention. A girl seeking approval even from those closest to her. She's a scrappy fighter and makes for a great heroine, although I did wish she'd take herself, and the plot, a little more seriously.

The writing here is top notch as well. I loved the following description:

It's a Saturday in October, one of those fall days that makes you think summer is overrated. The sky is so blue you wouldn't believe it if you saw it in a painting. The air is warm and sweet, smelling like dead leaves and the good kind of mold, the kind that stays outdoors.

Broken down to its sentence level, writing like this will undoubtedly earn Booraem props. It's fresh and witty and found throughout the book.

Often times being pleasantly surprised by a book causes the material to stay with you longer and to appreciate it more. I've got to be honest, the rave reviews drew me to this book, but the subject matter (fairies) and the girlie, glittery cover brought out my skepticism. At the heart of this story is a coming-of-age tale about an overweight girl growing into her grandeur. But beneath even that are some truly terrifying ideas I was astonished to find. The description of the real Gigi Kramer is frightening and the idea that the fairies can alter the way humans see reality is a scary concept. The way Gigi Kramer messes with illusions may keep some younger readers up all night. Scary stuff, and a little unexpected.

Not everything in this book worked entirely for me though and one example would be the development of Booraem's plot. It's quick and suspenseful, sure. And the pacing is rather effortless. I found myself burning the midnight oil as soon as Gigi Kramer's true intentions were revealed. However, I also found myself flipping back to previous sections for clarification. The fairy world that Booraem has created is very intricate and complex. Often, it's too imposing.

From what I understand, the fairies initially possessed a very natural, organic magic known as Magic Vera. Over time some fairies became bored with this and came up with Magic Artifica, a more sinister kind of magic involving illusion. As the entire community of fairies moved further in the direction of Magic Artifica they captured their Magic Vera and contained it inside the Gemmaluna, so as to never lose it. A third magic, Magic Mala then came along, more sinister and dark even than Magic Artifica, and it requires the power of a Circulus. The Circulus is a group of fairies spinning around very quickly, supplying the entire fairy community with a source power to draw from. Like a generator. Some fairies are good enough to perform Magic Mala (the ability to manipulate and move inanimate objects) without the use of a Circulus and that idea becomes very frightening to many fairies. Thus, a campaign to return to the days of Magic Vera. But for that, they need the Gemmaluna, which has been given to the Turpin family to look after for all these years. It's all very clever, and something I wish I could be clever enough to think of myself, but it's also incredibly confusing. It took a lot of rereading to get all that down and I don't even know if I have it all right!

I enjoyed this book and I think among students bridging the space between elementary school and middle school, or junior high, this book will definitely find a home. It's snarky, it's hilarious, it's heartfelt, and it's exciting. Plus it's well-written and it stands on it's own without the promise of future installments!

Final Grade: B

Bitter

Sadly, this morning, author Pete Hautman did not chose A TALE DARK AND GRIMM to advance in School Library Journal's second round of their Battle of the Kids' Books.

First off, let me start by admitting that I have not read TRASH, the book Mr. Hautman chose instead of A TALE DARK AND GRIMM. In fact, I hadn't even heard of it before the brackets were released. I have no doubt in my mind that it is worthy of advancing, and maybe even winning, this contest.

What upsets me is that I don't feel like A TALE DARK AND GRIMM got a fair shake. Mr. Hautman said he chose TRASH because in the end, it "cut deeper." I'm sorry, but I don't buy it.

Hautman praised Gidwitz's ability to take classic Grimm tales and weave them together and put a fresh spin on them. He also praised Gidwitz for making A TALE DARK AND GRIMM very readable for children, thus admitting that A TALE DARK AND GRIMM will have wide child appeal. But not once, did he mention anything about the themes buried beneath the amputations, the blood, and the gore.

A TALE DARK AND GRIMM is about sibling love. About growing up in a world that is confusing and scary. It's about the love and affection children have for their parents, and how important it is for that need to be met and returned. A TALE DARK AND GRIMM is about the importance of family. It's a how-to book (or a how-not-to book, depending on how you look at it) for parents. Yet Hautman mentions none of this. Which leads me to believe he took it at face value.

A TALE DARK AND GRIMM is so good that it would be easy to cast it off as popular and leave it at that. But when read carefully, it isn't too difficult to see that it's actually so much more than that.

Here's hoping it makes a comeback as the winner of the Undead Poll!

The Candymakers

First things first, I'm a big Wendy Mass fan. So be warned, I may be a little biased.

One of my favorite books of all time is JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE. After reading it, I discovered A MANGO SHAPED SPACE, HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL, EVERY SOUL A STAR, and ELEVEN BIRTHDAYS. I think her novels do appeal more to the younger female gender (not me), but Jeremy Fink was so great that it is hard for me not to be impressed with the unique storytelling approach she takes in each of her books. She finds a way to change things up with each novel and explore some truly original ideas in an extremely kid-friendly way. In my opinion, she's one of the best, most popular, and consistent authors writing for children today.

Another reason I may be a little biased toward a Wendy Mass book . . .

I had the pleasure of meeting her when she visited our school district last spring. I'm on a small committee of teachers and librarians that help fund and plan and bring in a popular working authors for kids. The 5th grade classes in our district spend the week meeting with these authors and listening to their inspiring stories. Wendy was very down-to-earth and genuine and a big hit amongst our students. Plus, she thinks I rock!

At the time of her visit, THE CANDYMAKERS had not yet been released but she gave us a sneak peek of it. I had also been following it's creation on her blog. In similar Willy Wonka fashion, THE CANDYMAKERS tells the story of 4 kids each inventing a candy for a candymaking contest: Logan (the candymaker's son), Miles (allergic to everything), Daisy (daughter of a musician), and Philip (son of a rich businessman). The book is split into four sections, with each character getting a crack at narrating. Logan shares the story first, then we read Miles' version of the same happenings, then Daisy's, then Philip's. The book ends with with a fifth section of Logan tying up all loose ends.

Without being blown away, I was pleasantly surprised by THE CANDYMAKERS. Wendy Mass warns readers from the beginning to be on the lookout so it was obvious that not all the narrators were exactly who they seemed to be. However, some significant plot twists are thrown in that will surely thrill young readers.

If there's a theme present in many of Wendy Mass's novels, it's perspective. In A MANGO SHAPED SPACE she viewed the world through the eyes of a girl with synesthesia. In EVERY SOUL A STAR she viewed the world through three very different sets of preteen eyes. And in 11 BIRTHDAYS her two main characters, best friends, are in the midst of a terrible fight with neither considering the others' perspective.

The same is true with THE CANDYMAKERS. Logan is our guide through the first section of the story. He is innocent, sweet, and kindhearted. From this perspective it would seem that his only handicap in life is his lack of social experiences. He wants a best friend badly, but doesn't know how to go about it. A terrible accident in the past has led his parents to keep him sheltered and away from the world outside their candy factory's gates. By the time Miles takes the microphone however, the narrative is flipped upside down revealing the first of many surprises. It's not until we have stepped into each character's shoes that true perspective is achieved and Wendy Mass has a lot to say about judging a book by it's cover. I feel like she's captured their emotions and feelings perfectly, but their dialogue comes off a bit forced and unnatural.

I can't say this is Wendy Mass's best book, but it's easily her most ambitious. The text is easy to read and with short chapters in each of the five sections the book feels as if it goes by quickly. However with more than 450 pages, there's a lot of plot twists to digest and when the same story is told from four different points of view, there's a lot of information for young readers to juggle. Each section converges at the same cliffhanger and that leaves readers wanting more, but it couldn't keep my fifth grade class from became very antsy at multiple times throughout this book.

Wendy Mass is a popular author who knows who her readers are. She's one of my favorites even though this particular book wasn't.

Final Grade: B-

Battle of the Books Predictions

Well, round one of School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids' Books is complete and my bracket looks terrible.

In round one, I correctly picked 4 of the 8 battles. Not too shabby . . .

But in looking ahead, things are pretty Grimm for me, as A TALE DARK AND GRIMM is the only book I picked correctly from round one that I have advancing beyond the second round.

So . . . I'm still pulling for A TALE DARK AND GRIMM to win it all and I'm still predicting COUNTDOWN (which was knocked out today by Laura Amy Schlitz choosing THE CARDTURNER over it) to be named the winner of the Undead poll (by a hair over A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS).