The Lifters by Dave Eggers read by Dion Graham

Gran, short for Granite, and his family have moved to Carousel, living in his great grandfather's old home. Everything seems lonely and a bit off balance. No one at school speaks to him. It's as if he doesn’t exist. One day he comes upon classmate Catalina entering a hidden door in the ground. Gran is intrigued and follows her. He discovers a series of subterranean tunnels, crisscrossing the earth beneath the town. He watches as Catalina labors underground, propping up the tunnels with all manner of items to keep the town from sinking. The two join forces, working to defeat The Hollows, powerful winds which sense sadness and threaten to tunnel deep underground, blowing away the foundations of Carousel.

Listen Up

Bonus

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

Welcome to the world of Victorian England’s chimney sweeps. Jonathan Auxier has created a tale that is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part social commentary, and pure magic. ​Nan Sparrow has only known life as a chimney sweep. From infancy she was nurtured by a man she calls the Sweep. Together they did more than simply survive a grubby, demanding life of toil and deprivation. Instead he taught Nan to find joy in what others might deem a joyless existence. ​The Sweep had never understood how a person could sleep through the sunrise. 'It's like Heaven itself is offering you a gift you're too lazy to open,' he used to say. Then he'd wink and add, 'Ah, well. More for us.'

​And yet, here in the dusty crawl space, she held a miracle in her hands.

"A sage or rabbi--​ that is, a Jewish priest— forms a body out of mud or clay and then brings the creature to life with a sort of magic word called a Shem"...
"In your stories, why did the rabbi make his golem?"
"Why does a person create anything? Out of necessity... The golem is made to help people who fear for their lives.”

Stories to Tell. Stories to Share.

Sometimes on nights when there was no food to eat, the girl and her Sweep used to make Story soup. The girl would fill her pockets with trash she found on the streets - scraps of paper or trampled strings or bits of colored glass. At the end of the day, she would present these things to The Sweep. “Make Story soup!” she would tell him.’
​”Oh-ho!” The Sweep would always exclaim, rubbing his belly with both hands. ‘You’ve brought us ingredients for a right feast!’

​It's a very private thing to open a present and a person deserves to do it on his own way.

Bonus: The Wit and Wisdom of Sweep

​What is a year?
A year is a bunch of days put together.
Oh, it's much more than that! ...A year is a little lifetime.

The Book Tree by Paul Czajak ill Rashin Kheiriyeh

Imagine a world without books. Paul Czajak invites youngsters to visit the fantastical world of Arlo, a boy who loves to read. One day, while nested in the branches of a tree with his book, misfortune strikes. The volume slips from his hands and lands upon the head of the mayor. Furious, the mayor immediately calls for the destruction of all books, as he deems them dangerous. Arlo is bereft  when all books are torn apart and the pages float away. He is not the only one missing books. There are no more stories for children at nap time. Meals become dull, as there are no cookbooks to consult. The theater ceases to perform as there are no scripts to enact. Arlo determines that perhaps he can create stories of his own. His writing germinates a torn book page, buried deep within the earth. A book tree begins to grow, nourished by the stories Arlo writes and shares. Eventually the book tree is filled with books and the town springs back to life.

Meet the Author

​"​When it comes to science people have this idea that it is all numbers and equations, but in fact science is filled with creativity.  Go look at a picture of the Hadron Collider and try to tell me that didn’t take some serious imagination."

He is the author the Monster and Me series.  Monster Needs Your Vote might be an appropriate selection to read during this national election cycle. ​Paul has created coloring pages, which may be downloaded from his website.

Meet the Illustrator

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Ah, the stuff that fairytales are made of: a handsome young prince, overbearing parents who seek to marry off the heir to the throne, a glittering ballroom filled with all manner of royalty, and a shy young commoner with a heart of gold. ​But wait. Things take an unexpected turn. The prince, it seems, enjoys wearing gorgeous gowns. He covertly employs Frances, a lowly young dressmaker with a flair for the spectacular to create custom creations for him. When she learns the identity of her employer, the dressmaker is nonplussed and continues her work, making stunning works of couture for her client. Eventually his private passion for dazzling attire becomes public and his parents must come to terms with this aspect of their son's identity. Wang injects a humorous conclusion at the story’s reveal that is fanciful and immensely satisfying. Cross-dressing is only one aspect of The Prince and the Dressmaker story line. For me, the development of the relationship between the prince and the dressmaker is at its heart.

Let's talk Coulture

Wait... There is More to Love

Journey Across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst

A story of two sisters.  A story of a lion.  A story of a dragon. The sisters are twins. Princess Seika and Princess Ji-Lin are daughters of the emperor of the Hundred Islands of Himitsu.   At the age of eleven they were separated. Seika, the older sister remained in the palace and was trained in royal protocol, taught to be a ruler over the kingdom. Ji-Lin, the younger twin was sent far away from the palace to the Temple of the Sun to train as a protector and warrior.  The lion is not just any lion, but instead a magnificent beast with massive wings who serves as Ji-Lin's companion and transport. The dragon resides of the volcanic island of Kazan and safeguards Himitsu with a magical protective barrier. The sisters must unite to find the dragon and renew a bargain to protect the Hundred Islands. This venture proves more difficult than either girl anticipates and is fraught with unexpected dangers: some serious disturbances in the earth as well as creatures in the form of wild unicorns, mer-minnow,  terrifying valravens " and a ​hundred other monsters, each probably worse than the one before."

Deborah Marcero: Author and Illustrator

Ursa's Light by Deborah Marcero

"There were all the other bears... and then, there was Ursa."

Ursa's Light, written and illustrated by Marcero, introduces readers to a charming little bear aptly named Ursa.  From the beginning the double play on words is readily apparent. While her classmates are busily engaged in playground amusements, Ursa is fixated on the heavens above. She has a dream: she wants to fly.  Not one to be deterred, she observes, calculates, tries, fails, refuses to accept to defeat, and tries again and again. There must be a way to realize her dream. Eventually she finds a way.  Not in the manner she initially envisioned.  But she finds a way.

The pages are chock full of details:  Ursa's eyes always seem to be looking up; inserts of pages from Ursa's notebook; a brother named Orion; and a shirt emblazoned with the message "Live Delibearately."  The color pallet is bold, with plenty of black punctuated with strong shades of rust and gold. ​It fits Ursa perfectly.

Rosie and Crayon by Deborah Marcero

"Rosie's tears reflected all the colors that filled her world."

Meet Rosie and her beloved puppy Crayon. Once again Marcero has selected an appropriate name. This pet colors Rosie's days, making each one vibrant. Initial pages feature colors that reflect Rosie's relationship with the pup, "tickled greens and fluttering yellows." One day Crayon is gone. Text does not specifically mention death, but it is implied. Color leaves Rosie's world. With a tear-stained face, she puts away her crayons and the dog's collar. Eventually she sets aside her grief and helps locate a lost kitten. Color returns to her life in the form of friendship with the missing kitten and its owner. A tender story of grief and healing. ​

Rosie and Crayon effectively employs color to convey emotion.  Layout design is equally important to the story. Life with Crayon is busy, filled with a plethora of details. When Rosie is bereft, there are vast amounts of empty space on the page.  Observant readers will discover charming little details: R+C carved into a tree and letters for the title page  formed from crayons.

Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale
by Corey Rosen Schwartz illustrated by Deborah Marcero

"Gadzooks, I must be dreaming!"

Who knew that Cinderella could become a foray into the world of fractions? Corey Rosen Schwartz knew.  Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale is delightful little riff on the traditional story featuring not one, but two mistreated sisters: Cinderella and Tinderella. Chores are divided in half. They appear to share everything, from supper to a bed. But they do not share the same dream. Will their fairy godmom be able to extricate the girls from their life of servitude and grant each girl the wish of her heart?  Will there be not one, but two "happily ever afters?" Well, this is a fairy tale, so some extraordinary magic on the part of this godmom makes it happen. Schwartz tells this fractioned tale in clever couplets. Double good. Double fun.

End papers feature halves of sandwiches and oranges as well as pairs of shoes and gloves. Marcero ups the fantasy element with vibrant colors, including the sisters' bright red hair. Handsome Prince Charming has some serious moves and dances the night away with both girls.  Not to be outdone, Tinderella dips Charming, proving these girls can "dance with the stars." ​

The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente Ill by Rebecca Green

Ah, the Brontës. All four siblings: Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne are featured in this wildly imaginative, stunningly brilliant fantasy. Little known fact: stories of Glass Town were created by the young Brontës. The children fashioned a world with a set of wooden soldiers where elaborate schemes were hatched and played out in a world of their own creation. Valente uses these stories as the entry point into the fantastical world of The Glass Town Game. One day the foursome leave behind their home in Yorkshire and enter their own fictional country. With echoes of Louis Carroll’s brilliant satire and wordplay, Valente adds her deft comedic and bitingly perceptive touch to Glass Town. Compare this exchange between Humpty Dumpty and Alice in Through the Looking Glass to Branwell's reply to  a valise named Bestminster Abbey.

The Game of And

What if someone came along while we weren't looking and swapped the lye for powerful goblin powders and the washing water for Water of Life and...
AND made all of our dresses and Branwell's Sunday suit come to life and take us away to the Kingdom of Clothes where they use thimbles for shillings and buttons for pounds...
AND

Bonus Images

Map of Glass Town and Angria, created by the Brontë children.

1943 editions of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre with wood engraving illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg.  A 1946 Christmas gift to my mother from my father.

Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Rise of the Jumbies continues the spellbinding adventures of Corinne La Mer. Baptiste draws on rich Caribbean mythology to create this island inhabitant, daughter of a human father and a jumbie mother. Jumbie? What is a Jumbie? Jumbies, along with witches and douens are figures in Caribbean folklore. Lurking within the forest, often these spirits can be terrifying. The Jumbies is a book that will send shivers down the backs of youngsters. I don't want to give away what happens to Corinne in the first volume, but strongly encourage you to give it a read. This gives context to the extraordinary circumstances that await Corinne and her friends in the companion story.

Attentive readers will quickly  deduce a few clues about what is in store for our intrepid heroine. First there is Corinne's last name: La Mer. Big hint there. "I feel the pull of the sea, not just because I love it, but because this is where your grand-père taught me everything I know." Then there is the stunning cover which features an imposing mermaid with a massive tail that encircles Corinne within its scaly corkscrew. It's Mama D'Leau, a powerful jumbie who "rules the water." Corinne, daughter of a jumbie, is uniquely qualified to meet with Mama D'Leau and bargain for assistance in locating island children who have mysteriously disappeared. Rescuing her playmates will not be an easy task. Our brave young adventurer is heading into deep waters. Deep. Deep. Waters. She's in an ocean full of mysterious mythological creatures including a giant squid-like monster, a water goddess, mermaids, and of course, a jumbie. Her exploits have their share of frightful moments. One incident that made my blood run cold was the scene featuring snakes. Yes. There are snakes. Writhing snakes. Snakes. Snakes everywhere.

Companion Books

The  book that started it all. Read The Jumbies to learn more about Corinne, her life, her heritage, and her tremendous courage.

Shackles from the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy is Cottman's journey to learn the truth about shackles buried on the Carribean Ocean floor.

Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella by Carrie Burrell ill by Laura Ellen Anderson

Check out the cover: a girl with a cat perched atop her head and holding aloft a red umbrella as she sails through the skies. It is evident that readers are about to experience a delightful adventure. Carrie Burnell's Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella certainly lives up to that expectation. Meet Harper a girl with a rare musical gift who lives with her Great Aunt Sassy, chief dressmaker for the Dutch Opera House. When work takes Aunt Sassy away for a few days she wishes Harper "a weekend as wonderful as you" and advises her to take the Scarlet Umbrella as protection against the rainshower. Harper locates the umbrella, but to her dismay the cat Midnight is nowhere to be found. Where can her pet be? Tiny paw prints tracking across the book's pages provide a clue. She learns that along with Midnight, cats throughout the city are missing. ​With assistance from the magical umbrella, she sets out to find these felines who have mysteriously disappeared.

Rainy Day Lexicon

This is so clever! What a marvelous way to expand rainy day vocabulary beyond "cats and dogs". The next time that the promise showers grab your umbrella, perhaps a scarlet hue, and try one of these intriguing precipitation descriptions. ​ Summer Dew: a light rain that barely touches you. Sea Mist: a soft rain that emerges from the air like a fog. Heartbeat: an even rain, steady as your heart. ​Cloudburst: a downpour that soaked you to the skin. Icefall: a hard rain that struck like hail. Thunder Break: when the sky was alive with storms.

Companion videos

Hercufleas by Sam Gayton

​Look. Look close. Closer. Closer still.   ​It's miniscule. It's wingless. It's a parasite. ​It's a ..... flea.

Seriously, a middle grade book about a flea? Wait... This is no commonplace flea.  ​Meet Hercufleas, a flea who dreams of life beyond the ordinary. From birth, this is an insect destined for greatness. The village of Tumber is being destroyed by a monster. When the strongest and fiercest opponents have been unable to stop his unrelenting siege of terror, Greta seeks a hero who will save her town from destruction. She decides to place her faith in a flea. This determined girl convinces him to leave his family and set off with her on what he believes will be an adventure. It turns out to be considerably more than he anticipated. Greta expects results. Greta expects saving Tumber. Greta expects him to be her hero.  He learns that being a hero is much more than he envisioned. It can be frightening and require courage to face the unknown.  Add to this a generous dose of gross-out moments. Imagine a flea stuck inside the monster's nostrils. Yes, it's that disgusting.  Gayton's book is filled with heart, humor and clever wordplay.  Ultimately this is a story of determination, courage, and hope. ​"There is always another way. You just have to believe." ​"We are all fleas on the back of a creature called Hope."

​"you're unbefleavable" "you're parasiticulous"