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READING STYLE GUIDE

The Opposite of Happy

5/30/2016

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Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer

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It's official.
This is my current picture book favorite.

I am enamored with Penguin. Note the pose. Note the way he rocks red boxers with tiny hearts, even with flippers and a wisp of a protruding tail. He is sporting a bright yellow slicker with matching rain hat and boots, which is interesting attire for a bird with waterproof feathers. Not everybody can pull off this look. But Penguin manages to achieve definite panache.

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When it's not going well outdoors, Penguin determines that he has had enough.  He moves his bad mood indoors.
Maybe shedding all that wet clothing will help improve his attitude.
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After a relaxing bath, he dons comfy pajamas, sips hot chocolate, reads his favorite stories, and slips blissfully into slumber land.
It would seem that all is well with his world.
​Maybe.
​

A surprise greets the careful reader who continues reading, and then finally closes the book.
​
Wait for it...
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Behold the back cover.
It brilliantly illustrates the difficulty of turning around a bad day. 
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For it is indeed a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes a difficult day is not so easily discarded. (Apology to Jane Austen)



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I shared Claire Messer's Grumpy Pants with several young and not-so-young readers who were experiencing a "grumpy pants" moment. They appreciated how the book acknowledges the bad moods which occur in all of our lives. Grumpiness notwithstanding, these test readers were captivated by the Penguin with an attitude.
Ultimately it's easy to get lost in the charm of Penguin's plight. Both illustrations and text work together to provide delightful reading.

​​Thanks Claire Messer for this little gem.
​I hope that we will see more of Penguin in future books.


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* * * * * * * * * * * * *
​Bonus: I am in love with these end papers. I want to paper my mud room with this charmingness.

Companion book

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Judith Viorst's classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day makes an excellent companion read. 
​Pair both books for any good or not-so-good day.
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Sipping Summer

5/24/2016

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A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff
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A Clatter of Jars and A Tangle of Knots share a familiar vibe. Lisa Graff has crafted another middle grade tale with multiple story threads which intially seem unconnected, family secrets, a generous sprinkling of magic, and bonus recipes. Readers will appreciate the fact that instead of heating up the oven by baking cakes, they are treated to directions for concocting smoothies, punches, ice cream floats, and more.
Her original recipes add to the refreshing story line and are a delicious accompaniment to summer reading.
I lined up some jars in the kitchen and gave a few of these beverages a try.
The family opinion: Very tasty!

Sip summer as you try to unravel the secrets hidden in A Clatter of Jars.



Lily's Watermelon Limeade Float

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"reminiscent of all the best birthday parties
"Memory is a curious thing. Some details stick in our minds like peanut butter on crackers, and refuse to budge, as much as we might wish they would. Other memories - heavy ones sometimes, ones that seem unbudgeable - can be plucked right out when we least expect it. Lost memories leave remnants, of course, flavors that linger in the mind, but it's difficult to taste things when you don't know they're there."
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All memories have a flavor, although not everyone can taste them."

Chuck's Frozen Mint Hot Chocolate

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"reminiscent of a cool swim on a hot day"
"Some memories hit like a wallop, all of sudden, and hard. Other times, for no reason that anyone can explain, memories take much longer to sink in. They seem to meander a bit before choosing which mind to settle into."

​"There was a hint of something lingering in her mind. A memory, perhaps, although Jo could only catch the flavor of a few remaining tendrils."

Renny's Orange Cream Smoothie

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"reminescent of quiet nights on empty piers"
"Chuck clenched and unclenched her hand, trying to push away the memory of that look on Ellie's face, sad and small and stricken. But it was stuck in Chuck's mind like peanut butter on crackers."
  "Jars.  Lily saw, searching the water...The sight was delicious and frightening both at once..."

Companion Book

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A Tangle of Knots is the obvious choice here. It is included on the 2013 National Honor Book Award longlist and an absolute charmer!
Another Lisa Graff book to love.
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Texas: Another Word for Friendship

5/21/2016

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Louise Visits the Lone Star State

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I love Louise.
I love art.
I love love Kelly Light, artist and author extraordinaire.
She is an inspiration for anyone who has a dream. Read her story.
She is an amazing presenter for young and not-so-young readers everywhere. Here is a recap of her visit to P.S 110.


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Sing along
"Louise Loves Art" an original song by Emiy Arrow inspired by
​Kelly Light's picture book of the same title. 


We were super thrilled when Louise came to visit Texas. We couldn't wait to show her the Lone Star State and were excited to help her make friends with boys and girls in Texas.
​We even made a photo album of Louise's Texas Adventure.
​Check it out.
After a whirlwind tour of South Texas, Louise met some of the terrific students who live in Texas. Off to third grade and boy howdy, were those students excited to meet her!
After sharing Louise Loves Art with the students, she was ready to introduce them to her new friend Andie. They loved Andie, they loved her art and they went absolutely crazy for Andie's dog Bacon.

It was one awesome day!

Thank you, Louise, for coming to Texas and introducing us to your friend Andie. We love her too.
​
Next time you come, please bring Kelly Light with you. 
Pretty please.
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Camp: What Really Happens After Lights Out

5/16/2016

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Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle & Jason Adam Katzenstein

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This is the camp of your worst nightmares. It's not the usual unpleasant stuff like homesickness, mosquito bites and camper pranks. This is a camp for monsters: those who appear in human form during the day but after midnight transform into their true selves. Hint: Think werewolves and basilisks.
You will get little sympathy from the camp staff. They are witches.

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​Meet Skye, the unlucky young lady who, much to her dismay, learns that her mother will out of the country for the summer. As a result she will be spending the entire vacation with dad and his new wife, a woman whom Skye detests.
Just when she thinks that things couldn't be worse she learns that she won't be staying with dad and step mom. Immediatley upon her arrival they ship her off to camp.

​Skye is definitely not a "happy camper."
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 Seagle, creator of Ben 10 and Big Hero 6 has written Camp Midnight, a classic angst-filled comic detailing the life of a young girl feeling misunderstood and friendless. Not only caught in the throes of adjustments to a new family dynamic, she must also navigate the treacherous life of a summer camp inhabited by monsters.
This bizarre setting serves as a perfect backdrop to Skye's summer of self discovery.
New Yorker magazine cartoonist Katzenstein gives full rein to the drama of Skye's plight. The drawings, facial expressions and vivid color pallet perfectly capture what it's like to be a misunderstood tween.
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The comic has a "larger than life" vibe, with characters and situations which are over-the-top. Readers will feel relieved when Skye's camp experience concludes happily. She gains a new best friend who happens to be a ghost and develops a romantic interest in a werewolf who is passing as a "hot" guy. Most important, she learns to accept herself for who she truly is. 
All the drama of tweens and summer camp.
All the creepiness of monsters in the woods at midnight.
Highly entertaining.
​Great escapist fun!

Companion Book

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Looking for another summer camp adventure filled with creepiness? Try Brain Camp by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks.
This is another terrific comic where after-dark weirdness runs rampant.
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The Eigtheenth Hole

5/9/2016

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Waiting for Augusta by Jessica Lawson

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​There is something unique about The South. I cross over the Mason-Dixon Line and can sense it almost immediately. My mother used to say that the air felt "softer". I find myself having a similar sensation whenever I encounter the warm, fragrant, and languid atmosphere that envelops all of my senses whenever I set foot into Southern territory.
Waiting for Augusta by Jessica Lawson has some of that same Southern softness. There is a warmth and gentleness, combined with the humor provided by local colorful "characters" that give every Southern community its charm.
​If you are waiting for a summer book filled with Southern deliciousness, I recommend coming along on this trip to Augusta, Georgia. It's magical.


Meet Benjamin Putter, an eleven year old boy with a serious problem: a golf ball has lodged itself in his throat. Yes, he has been to the doctor. Yes, his throat was x-rayed. Yes, no matter what anyone says he knows what he knows and the golf ball is there.
Life has been difficult for our young protagonist. He never seemed to measure up to his father's expectations. His father loved two things: golf and barbecued pork. Ben prefers drawing and painting. Now his father is dead and Ben is left wondering if his father really loved him, if he is meant to follow his father's footsteps or if he should chose another path.
He meets a mysterious girl named Noni and together they set out on a quest to bring Ben closure by transporting his father's ashes to the Augusta National Golf Tournament and scattering them on the eighteenth hole.
Noni has her own secrets and joins the journey, searching for her own sign.
This odyssey involves hopping atop the coal car of a passing train, stealing a truck and driving (yes, eleven year old Ben drives while Noni attempts to navigate) and hiding out in a peach orchard.
The youngsters' pilgrimage from Hilltop, Alabama to Augusta, Georgia is peppered by encounters with quirky characters. Pastor Frank owns the local bar, which is presided over by Mrs. Clucksy, a chicken who in addition to picking up stray corn nuts on the counter top, also serves as overnight security for the bar's cash. Pastor Frank hides the night's earnings in a plastic egg, which resides safely in Mrs. Clucksy nest inside the hen house.
Did I mention that Benjamin's father speaks to him? His father (from inside the urn) and Ben often engage in soul-searching conversations. But then, many objects both real and inanimate speak to Ben. From the mosquito on his arm to the kitchen appliances, all have something to say to this boy.
Near the conclusion of the book, readers will begin to sense what is coming (no spoilers from me). I will say that the ending left me with a huge lump in my throat. And I don't want it to ever go away.


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Use the interactive map to follow the Masters National Golf Course in Augusta to the eighteenth hole. 
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Quiet Please: Secret Strengths of Introverts

5/3/2016

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"Understanding at a deep level who you are, and what you need, is so empowering."

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Celebrating the Power of Quiet
"A quiet temperament is a hidden superpower." Susan Cain
"There are many kinds of quiet." Deborah Underwood
"Most great ideas spring from solitude." Susan Cain
"Introvert: Graceful in its own element." Grant Snider
"You don't need to be a cheerleader to lead. Just ask Mahatma Gandhi." Susan Cain
"Swimming underwater quiet" Deborah Underwood
"In a gentle way, you can shake the world." Mahatma Gandhi
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Anatomy of an Author Visit

5/3/2016

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"How I became a killer and a thief."

YA author, April Henry is well-known for her stories which send a bone-tingling chill up the spines of teen readers. What thrill-seeking reader doesn't love that?
Teens in South Texas were treated to a week of school visits from Ms Henry.
In addition to describing the trials of writing a book with an arm injury which temporarily left her without the use of her dominant hand/arm (she was forced to fall back on dictation software which sometimes produced hilarious results), the author offered two important components of her writing process.
  • Start with the question "what if?"  Look for interesting events from real life and ask yourself, "what if? "" What if the person were blind?" " What if the body were here?"" What if the parent was someone else?" This change in perspective can start you on the trail toward your own story.
  • It's all about the research, research, research.  "What would it be like to be blind?"  "How does a person escape from handcuffs?"  Learn all that you can to answer your questions, including asking professionals in the field and spend time in actual training and simulations. 
"We were all so sure we knew the truth, but we were wrong."
Highlights from April Henry's visit to Four Bluff High School

The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

"It's like I'm in one of those snow globes. Somebody's picked me up and shaken all my memories loose.
​Now they float around me, flickering in the corners of my eyes."
The Girl I Used to Be is based on a fascinating premise:
What if your mother was killed when you were only three years old?
​What if you grew up believing that your father killed your mother and then disappeared?
What if at age fourteen you learned that wasn't true?
What if you realize that someone killed both your father and mother?
What if you return to your father's funeral, determined to find out what really happened to your parents?
What if the killer is much closer to you than you ever realized?
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"I'm not a little kid. I already know about evil. Nineteen stab wounds, a jawbone, blood drying on a knife. I know a lot about evil."
April Henry books are like potato chips. They are short and snappy with a definite crunch. Never sweet or sticky, but crisp and tangy. They are the perfect reading snack.
But be warned, just like potato chips, they are highly addictive.
You can never consume just one!
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Fresh Refresh: Family Portraits

5/2/2016

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It is a challenging task to continually check the library collection for books that need to be "retired". Some decisions are obvious. Books with broken spines, pages missing, worn and torn covers are ready to leave the shelf. Books with outdated material need to be retired: Think geography books and maps mentioning countries which no longer exist. Think Pluto.
These types of books are easy to spot and replace with clean copies and updated information.
Picture books present anongoing challenge. Perusing a shelf of books for youngsters looking for images that are outdated takes a considerable amount of time.
Consider picture books about families. Many of the books which currently reside on the shelf are limited to one type of family. Enriching the library's offerings to include representation of a diverse configuration of families helps to make the picture book collection more inclusive.
Fortunately, there are some new books about families which address this concern. Here are two titles worth considering:
Albert Whitman and Company has updated All Kinds of Families by Noram Simon with illustrations by Sarah S Brannen to present a contemporary and realistic representation of many families. Warm reassuring images and text celebrate the importance of families, particularly in the lives of children and invite them to "talk about their own families and to discover the variety of people who fit under the big umbrella redefined as family."
Holiday House Books has a terrific book about contemporary families. Families by Shelly Rotner and Sheila M Kelly uses vibrant photographs to showcase of a variety of families, people who collectively care for and support one another on an ongoing basis.
These books can update a picture book collection and offer young readers an image of families that "look like my family".

All Kinds of Families
by Norma Simon
pictures by Sarah S Brannen

Families
by Shelly Rotner and Sheila M Kelly

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    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
    American Library Association Book Awards and Lists 
    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

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