Welcome back!

Welcome back to school!
I hope everyone had a fantastic summer!  I cannot wait to share more books with you this year!
Over the summer I began thinking about "old" media (books and movies).  So, in an effort to cross things off of my bucket list, I began watching old films and reading old books that I have heard of but never actually seen or read.
As far as books go, I would like to highlight Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers.  I picked it up because of the movie coming out this fall, Saving Mr. Banks.  I wanted to see how the "Mary Poppins" we all know and love is different from the original "Mary Poppins" written by Travers.  Let me tell you, they are as different as they come!  In the book, Mary Poppins comes to 17 Cherry Tree Lane after a nanny has quit.  She does not get a letter penned by Jane and Michael, and no other nannies are turned away by the wind.  She is strict, and a bit cross with the children - almost mean - which is something I was not expecting.  She endears herself to the children by showing them a world unlike any they have ever experienced.  She tells them of a cow that cannot stop dancing, takes them to meet her Uncle that floats on his birthday (this one was in the movie), shows them what goes on in the zoo at night, takes them on a trip around the world, that sort of thing.  With each adventure, the children wonder if what they have experienced actually happened or if it was just a dream.  She is still strict with the little ones (by the way, there are FOUR Banks children - Jane and Michael have twin siblings, John and Barbara), but she does seem to care about them.  The wind changes at the end of the book and she just up and leaves without saying goodbye.
Now, I may make P.L. Travers roll over in her grave when I write this, and it is against all I believe as a librarian, but I liked the movie version much better.  In the book, Mary Poppins is mean.  She snaps at the little ones, she is sarcastic, and she fusses at them quite a bit.  Now, this could be a generational thing - maybe that was how nannies treated children in early turn of the century London, I do not really know.  It must be that I need to read more installments of the Mary Poppins series in order to see how she changes the lives of the Banks family members.  I might try the next book, but I am in no rush to continue the series.  I do love the movie, though!

Book Review:  Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

This suspenseful novel, set in 1890's New York City, tells the story of Carver Young, an orphaned boy with a penchant for detective stories and a quick mind.  Carver is "adopted" by a former Pinkerton Detective, Albert Hawking, who sees promise in the young boy.  Carver is on a quest to locate his birth father, yet at the same time Jack the Ripper has turned up in New York and is wreaking havoc in the city.  Carver learns a terrible secret about his father and must save the city before Jack kills again.
Overall I found the pacing to be good, and the action was fast-paced. Some of the historical inaccuracies can be explained away when reminded that this is a work of fiction - the author never declares otherwise.  I enjoyed the book, in all of its dark and suspenseful glory.  The characters were engaging, but I do have to admit that there was not enough distrust for me.  I felt like the "secret" agents were a bit too forthcoming with their "top secret" information, and Carver readily believed anything that anyone told him - he did not have a distrustful bone in his body.  And the fact that everyone listened to a bunch of teenagers is a bit surprising - it almost made the book Scooby Doo-esque.  With all that in mind, the author does pull it together well, and his storytelling is top notch.  I feel like he wants to continue the storyline, but it is a very good stand alone novel as well.  Either way, if you are a fan of thrillers and Jack the Ripper stories, you should try it out!

Book Review:  Splendors and glooms by L.A. Schlitz

Have you ever read a book, and at the end you felt like you needed to process for a bit?  That was this book for me.  I honestly cannot say whether I liked it or not.  The premise is interesting - two orphans (Parsefall and Lizzie Rose), working for an evil magician-puppeteer (Grisini), are called on by his nemesis (Cassandra) to break a curse that is slowly killing her.  At the same time a privileged young girl (Clara) disappears, and only the magic of Grisini or his Cassandra can free her.  Parts of the story are quite intriguing - what deep dark secret is Clara hiding, how did Parsefall lose his finger, and how can Clara be freed?  I also enjoyed the characters - they are not one dimensional.  All, except for Grisini, have good and bad characteristics.  Clara acts the role of the proper British child, but she secretly resents her home life.  Parsefall loves Lizzie Rose like a sister, but, because of his upbringing, shows his love in abusive ways.  Lizzie Rose is a kind and gentle soul, but she explodes with emotion when cornered like a feral cat.  This makes them much more realistic.  The issue I have is with the story line.  When Grisini disappears, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall must fend for themselves.  As they try to survive without a guardian, they receive a letter in the post from a mysterious dowager who wants to leave her fortune to them.  Believing they will be inundated with riches, they leave their life in London to go to Strachan's Ghyll, the woman's home.  However, the old woman has an evil ulterior motive - the curse that has been plaguing her for her life can only be broken by a child, and she can use one of Grisini's foolish orphans to break her dreaded curse.  The story takes a long time to "rev up", but once it gets going it is quite good.  The ending, however, is lacking.  Too neat and tidy.  The dreariness of the entire book was erased with an ending as cliched as "and they all lived happily ever after".  Overall, the book had great characterization and description, but I feel the story line could have been much better.  It's a "meh" for me.

Ungifted: by Gordon Korman

Sometimes I feel like authors try too hard to speak to junior high level kiddos. It is akin to someone's mother saying things like "get jiggy with it!" or "word up!" - these sayings have their place (the years 1999 and 1987, respectively), but not in a junior high in 2013. This is why I like Gordon Korman so much. He writes novels for young readers that do not hide behind flashy literary trends or what’s the latest fashion – he writes timeless good fiction.  Take Ungifted, for example.  In this book we meet Donovan, a screw up with a good heart.  Because of an administrative error, he is sent to a magnet school for gifted students instead of being expelled for a prank that got way out of hand.  Donovan must convince the students and teachers that he is a genius, but instead teaches the others about friendship, heart, and loyalty.  Each chapter is told from a different point of view – either Donovan, his sister, the students at the magnet school, teachers, or the superintendent give us their perspective on the events and situations that transpire throughout the novel. 

Korman does a great job making each character believable and helps the reader to understand that sometimes one person’s rash decision can cause an entire community to change their perception on life; and sometimes the strangest people can become your closest friends.

Kudos to Korman for creating characters that show that junior high students still have heart!

Book Review:  Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Foster McFee loves to bake.  No matter what is going on in her life, she knows a cupcake can make anything better.  One day she will have her own cooking show on the Food Network and help the world to understand the power of baked goods.  She and her mother have recently moved from Memphis, Tennessee to  Culpepper, West Virginia.  Whil in Culpepper, Foster befriends a budding documentary filmmaker, a "defender of all thats right and true", a famouse movie star, and a restaurant owner named "Angry Wayne".  With her friends, Foster discovers the strength within herself and helps the town get their fighting spirit back.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit.  There are realistic characters and situations to which many readers can relate.  Foster is a likable character, as are her mother and the people of Culpepper.  There are words of encouragement throughout the novel that help the reader to realize that even when things look their worst, you can always turn them around - all you need is a few ingredients and an oven!

A change of pace - Awesome Apps

Today as I was clicking through my current e-dition of School Library Journal, I found this list of awesome apps for students K-12.  They range from picture books to fiction to non-fiction; as well as educational games.  I found the list to be of interest, and thought I would share it with you guys!
Click here to get to the SLJ list!

L and R:  Some of the awesome apps mentioned in the article

Book Review: The True Adventures of Charley Darwin by Meyer

The True Adventures of Charley Darwin by Carolyn Meyer

In this novel, Meyer writes as a young Charles Darwin, inscribing his memoirs in a journal.  This would be historically accurate in that Darwin filled many a journal with scientific discoveries, ideas, and personal thoughts.
The novel begins in 1818 when Darwin is nine years old and beginning school.  It then traces his life up to his marriage to Emma Wedgwood in 1839.  This time frame includes his voyage on the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836.
I must say, what I love about Meyer is she is authentic.  I very much felt like I was reading Darwin's voice.  I could feel every lurch of the boat and every bout of illness.
At the same time, I felt the pacing was a bit off.  Many pages were devoted to South America, where Darwin spent many months collecting and examining flora and fauna, but only a few pages were devoted to the Galapagos and Tahiti.  I was expecting a bit more meat on those pages.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of how Darwin would have reacted to the finches and boobie birds - this was the area where the seed of an idea was planted, but very little attention was given to this part.
I did enjoy seeing an awkward Darwin in social settings while he was in England.  I could imagine him tucked away in a corner, praying for a swift end to the evening's frivolities.  And his courtship (or lack thereof) of his cousin also gave him a human side that we often forget when learning about men of science.
Overall, I would give this book a seven out of ten.  I found the content and situations intriguing, but the build up was a bit slow, and I would like to have more information from his time on the Beagle.