Blog Archives

Summer Romance

5/30/2017

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

In answer to your question, yes this is a kissing book. There is kissing. A. Lot. Of. Kissing.

From the moment that I laid eyes on the cover of Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi, it was love at first sight. This image brilliantly captures the personality of Dimple and sets up the scene in which she and Rishi meet for the first time. It's an invitation to turn the page that is impossible to ignore.
As a side note, this cover would make a terrific #bookface prop. Anyone up for a stunning #bookfacefriday ?

This is me, this is what I believe in,and this is why I'm different and this is why that's okay...

Dimple is the quintessential techie nerd. Behind her ever-present spectacles is the face of one determined young lady. With high school behind her and plans of Stanford this fall, Dimple will summer at Insomnia Con, an app creation competition for teams of bright young minds from across the country.
Rishi's parents have encouraged him to attend Insomnia Con where he will meet the woman arranged to become his wife. He is ready to go and meet his destiny.
It is soon evident that these two lives, while appearing to be on alternate trajectories, may have more going for them than either had imagined.
The course of true love never did run smooth. Certainly not for this couple. They work through the expectations of their parents, their individual life goals, and possibility of a future together.
This romance is enhanced with Indian-American cultural richness. I loved the families, especially the aunties and the seamless inclusion of Hindi phrases, I adored Dimple with her mass of unruly dark curls and glasses that refused to stay on the bridge of her nose.

Like a copy of this romantic comedy? Head on over to Good Reads May 30, 2017 - June 6, 2017 and enter for a chance to win a copy of When Dimple Met Rishi.

Dimple hadn't been looking for this...whatever it was between them ...
But somehow she had a feeling that love had found her.

Companion Resources

Get in the spirit of Dimple and Rishi’s talent show number. Here are a few of the performances that inspired them to give dancing (and romance) a chance.

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Comics for Early Readers

5/22/2017

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Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World by James Sturm

Each year during the San Diego Comic-Con, winners of the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are announced. Recognition is awarded to outstanding comics and comic-related materials published during the previous year. Among the many categories, this year's nominees include a stellar group of comics published for early readers.
Take a look at one of the nominees for this year's award.

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World by James Sturm introduces readers to the playground antics of two friends: Ape and Armadillo. As Agents of Evil, they devise a scheme to combat the evil forces of the world. However, there is a problem. Armadillo has developed his own special plan. Ape will combat the evil-doers. Armadillo will sweep in afterward, assuming the role of the conquering hero.
This is not working so well for Ape and he objects. It's unfair!
There follows a discussion on the meaning of "unfair" and what is a "good idea" entails. Eventually the friends compromise, negotiating a plan that both agree will work. Engaging characters, sparkling dialog that zings when read aloud, great action scenes which include a space cannon, plenty of gentle humor, and ice cream, make this a sure-fire hit for young readers.
Bonus: There are also dogs. Lots of dogs.
World domination like you've never experienced it.

But wait. There is more....

Sturm has ingeniously included mini comics at the bottom of each page. Each mini strip, three or four panels in length, asks a question such as: What super power would you want? If your friend was a cookie what kind with they be? Ape and Armadillo take turns giving their responses. A bonus comic at the conclusion of the story revolves around that old "psychic" number guessing games. Armadillo and Ape turn the game on its head. Guessing numbers has never been so much fun!

But wait. There is more...

Check out this bonus material which includes an interview with James Sturm who draws while he answers questions from Maria Russo and those viewing the live broadcast. Wow! He can draw and think and talk at the same time!
Be sure check out the templates which young readers can use to create their own comics based on the mini strips running along the bottom of each Ape and Armadillo page.

I have planned a few workshops and storytimes to take place this summer. One workshop will be with a group of teens and a separate storytime will be for children whose ages span a wide range. I plan to use this book along with the comic panel templates and prompts. While the book is specifically geared to younger readers, the concepts translate well with middle grade and teens interested in creating their own comics.

Thanks James Sturm and Toon Books for this fantastic leveled comic for early readers.

Why yes. I do have a signed copy!

Companion Books

Nominees for 2017 Eisner Award: Publication for Early Readers

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World joins four other books nominated for this year's Eisner Award for Publication for Young Readers. The winner will be announced Friday, July 21 2017 at Comic-Con International. Which comic will win? Stay tuned.

Burt's Way Home
by James Martz

The Creeps: The Trolls Will Feast
by Chris Schweizer

I'm Grumpy
by Jennifer L. Holm &
Matthew Holm

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea
by Ben Clanton

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Summer Days. Summer Nights.

5/18/2017

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Be True to Me by Adele Griffin

Two Girls. One Guy. One Summer.

Welcome to the summer of 1976. Wealthy East Coast family dynasties escape the sweltering streets of New York City by retreating to Fire Island. Navigating the carefully orchestrated summer rituals belonging to this elite social class, days are filled with bike rides and beachfront sunbathing, tennis games and secret rendezvous. Evenings belong to long-standing traditions such as Punch Night and the Lobster Party.

Jean Custis discovers that this year's summer offers the promise of much more. Hiding behind the shadow of her older sister Daphne, Jean sees her chance to shine when she realizes that this year Daphne will be in Europe."A whole summer of no Daphne felt too good to be true." She meets Gil Burke, nephew of her godfather Carpie Burke. Gil has become his uncle's protégé, working in the city for his prestigious law firm. This summer he is a guest at the Burke's island summer cottage. Handsome, and oozing with southern charm, Gil becomes the object of Jean's desire.

But then there is Fritz, a working-class girl, who leaves her job cashiering at a Louisiana PX to enjoy summers on Fire Island with her friend Julie. Last year she bested Jean at tennis, winning the coveted Junior Cup. When Fritz and Gil meet, their mutual attraction threatens to destroy Jean's dreams for romance as well as the Burke family's desire to maintain their elite social status

The rivalry between Jean and Fritz escalates during the sultry days of June and July. What starts are a competition for domination on the tennis courts quickly moves off court and becomes an all- consuming contest to claim the attention and affections of Gil. Knowing that his future rests on maintaining his status with his uncle, Gil straddles his loyalties between the two girls. "I don’t want you and me to get more complicated than we are already."

When "Young Americans" came on, I clapped for it. "I love this song!"

Readers are transported to a life of glamour, privilege, and class warfare. The narrative is laced with numerous references to the 1970's and descriptions of summer life on Fire Island. Told through the alternating voices of Jean and Fritz, the unfolding saga is high drama. Griffin's superb pacing and storytelling maintains the mounting tension, with a concluding race that left me breathless. The last 100 pages had me madly devouring the each word, each chapter.
Griffin has a way with words. Her turn of phrase often has a particularly pungent bite and sting. "But suppressing all my hope was something else. It was like trying not to inhale its perfume, or maybe its poison." An intoxicating summer read.

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By the Numbers

5/12/2017

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7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar ill by Ross MacDonald

Are you ready for a mystery filled with delicious puns? If so, make room on your shelf for 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story.
Private I of the Al F. Bet Detective Agency is stunned when new client 6, barges into his office, begging for help. He announces "word on the street" is that 7 ate 9. Now he fears that 7 is coming to get him. Private I is on the case. He tracks down 7, 8, 11, and even B the waitress; searching for clues as the whereabouts of 7 and 9. At the book's conclusion, the mystery is solved and all ends well. Observant readers will anticipate what is coming and quickly figure out what happened to the missing digit.
"I have solved this numerical nonsense."

It is nearly impossible to keep track of all the clever puns packed into every page. Tara Lazar hits a mother lode of them here. "I knew about this 7 fella. He was odd." "But if 7 was gone, then where was 9? It didn't add up." MacDonald's visual puns will keep readers glued to the pages, looking for more clues. (Check out waitress B in Cafe Uno, who has the scoop. Be sure to take note of today's special.)
Kudos to the designer who selected the color-coded numerals sprinkled throughout the text.

This story begs for multiple readings and is perfect for a read aloud. The tale could serve as a script for a delightful Readers Theater. Help youngsters make a few simple props to add to the frivolity. It works well for math class (make a list of all the references to numbers, create a cast of number suspects with a description of each number), a lesson on puns, and of course creating mysteries with a twist. Thanks Tara and Ross for this most entertaining picture book. Word and number play has never been so much fun!

Tara Lazar Book Trailers: The Mysteries Continue

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A Personal Odyssey

5/9/2017

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Shackles from the Deep:
Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy

by Michael H. Cottman

"Our ancestors endured the worst possible fates imaginable - and we survived."

In 1972 Demostenes "Moe" Molinar, boat captain, professional diver, and treasure hunter uncovered long-buried artifacts off the coast of the Florida Keys: shackles. Many sets of shackles. Among the wrecked slave ship's remnants were tiny iron bands used on the hands and feet of small enslaved children.
This stunning discovery led to journalist Michael H. Cottman's pilgrimage, tracing the history of the manacles found aboard the slave ship Henrietta Marie, Using historical documents as a guide, Cottman commenced a personal odyssey, researching the slave ship's journey.

Retracing the route of a slave ship was more than a history lesson for me: This was an emotional journey.

Beginning at Key West, Cottman followed the ship to its origins in London, visiting the National Maritime Museum and the St Mary Abchurch. He located the English foundry when the ship's cannons were manufactured. Next stop for his research was Barbados, where the Henrietta Marie anchored in 1698, then on to a plantation in Jamaica. His odyssey concluded with a trip to Africa. The journey allowed Cottman to discover a pain-filled past. Significantly, he discovered his connection to history and the African continent. This slim volume includes four pages of color photos, map, timeline, list of resources and an index. Each chapter is introduced with an appropriate proverb originating from from Africa or an African nation. Shackles from the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bittle Past, and a Rich Legacy is a personal and poignant story for young readers.

Here I was standing on the shores of my ancestral homeland, and I was filled with a range of emotions. I felt extrememe sadness for my African ancestors who were forced into the brutal slave trade, and anger at the European slave traders, but uplifted by the enduring spirit and survival of African people.

Images: Uncovering the Past

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Playing with Fire

5/2/2017

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Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld ill by Alex Puvilland

Cue the music. "You are about to enter Rod Serling's Twilight Zone

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.

Scott Westerfeld takes readers through the decaying streets of Poughkeepsie, New York and into a frightening post-apocalyptic world. Cue the music. You are about to enter the Spill Zone.

Meet Addison Merritt, resident of the Spill. Three years ago her town became a no man's land for reasons that are not clear: Maybe a nano outbreak at the local nuclear power plant? Possibly some leakage from another world? Who knows? Addie lives with the remnants of that horrific night. Her parents are gone and her little sister Lexa is now mute.
Gruesome meat puppets, rats, mealy worms, and some type of otherworldly monster now inhabit the town. Addison makes her living by slipping past guards to take striking photos of the Spill. Later she discovers that someone is willing to pay her an obscene amount of money to return to the hospital, located in the Spill sector where her parents died. She need only return to the Spill one last time. However her "one time only" unleashes the wrath of a mutant monster of terrifying proportions.

Westerfeld's narrative includes connections to current events, giving the tale an additional chilling brush with the reader's present reality. Consider: the threat of nuclear destruction "don't mess with the zone’s little projects,' construction of a wall "sooner or later they'll put up a real wall." and ties to North Korea "they know things we don't."

This is horror. Alex Puvilland uses the graphic medium to full advantage as the terrors of the Spill Zone are vividly intense. The color pallet is dark and grim, accentuated by putrid shades of pea-soup green and a mustard-tinged yellow. Don't even get me started on Lexa's doll Vespertine. She totally creeps me out.
The book is an introduction to the characters, setting, and storyline. But there is obviously more to come.
Warning: Westerfeld and his publisher had better be hard at work on the follow-up volume. If a continuation of the story is not forthcoming, meat puppets may show up at their offices.

Things are clearly getting weirder than usual.

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Summer Romance

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Companion Resources

Comics for Early Readers

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World by James Sturm

Companion Books

Summer Days. Summer Nights.

Be True to Me by Adele Griffin

By the Numbers

7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar ill by Ross MacDonald

Tara Lazar Book Trailers: The Mysteries Continue

A Personal Odyssey

Shackles from the Deep:
Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy

by Michael H. Cottman

Images: Uncovering the Past

Playing with Fire

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld ill by Alex Puvilland

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Summer Romance

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Companion Resources

Comics for Early Readers

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World by James Sturm

Companion Books

Summer Days. Summer Nights.

Be True to Me by Adele Griffin

By the Numbers

7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar ill by Ross MacDonald

Tara Lazar Book Trailers: The Mysteries Continue

A Personal Odyssey

Shackles from the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy​by Michael H. Cottman

Images: Uncovering the Past

Playing with Fire

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld ill by Alex Puvilland

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Shackles from the Deep:
Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy

by Michael H. Cottman