Book 7 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 7: Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes

"Twelve-year-old Mitch and his mother are spending the summer with his grandparents at Bird Lake after his parents separate, and ten-year-old Spencer and his family have returned to the lake where Spencer's little brother drowned long ago, and as the boys become friends and spend time together, each of them begins to heal."

I have to admit I've run out of steam a bit with the Summer Reading Book Challenge...I have been reading (a lot actually) but primarily books for older kids (like high school) or adults. So with Bird Lake Moon, I'm digging into my book archives and picking one that I actually read awhile ago. However, Bird Lake Moon is a fantastic book and one that I've been considering for Book Buddies for a long time. And since I'm not sure exactly when we'll get to it, I thought it was worth putting out there now and a great book to end the challenge with....

Bird Lake Moon is one of my favorite Kevin Henkes books, second only to Olive's Ocean (a fabulous book for middle school readers). There are many similarities between the two - tweens coming of age, summer vacation, tragedy, all revealed with tremendous heart through beautiful writing. In Bird Lake, I enjoyed getting to know Mitch and Spencer and watching their friendship grow. No question, both boys went through a lot of hard stuff at very early ages. But it was a pleasure to watch them grow and mature and deal with their problems.

Heartbreaking in parts, Bird Lake Moon is a much more character-driven than plot driven. It is a quiet story but one filled with hope that I think many elementary readers will enjoy.

Book 6 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 6: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

“In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.”

I absolutely loved Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It is a beautifully written, magical fantasy/folktale that transports the reader into another world. I loved that Minli's tale unfolded in stories: "The Story of Fruitless Mountain", "The Story of the Old Man of the Moon", "The Story of the Green Tiger and the Tea", etc. It really shaped the narrative and added to the fairytale feel of the book. I also loved how the red thread ran throughout the story and brought everything around full circle.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is full of rich characters and settings. Readers can look forward to meeting the peach tree monkeys, the buffalo boy, the guardians of the city, Da-A-Fu and many more remarkable and memorable characters. In addition I feel it's worth mentioning that Mountain is one of the most beautifully designed books I have ever seen with gorgeous full-color illustrations sprinkled throughout and color chapter headings. Every detail was considered and the author should be very proud of this brilliant achievement. I have always enjoyed Grace Lin's work (her The Year of the Dog was a Book Buddies hit) and I intend to share this one with my book club readers and young library patrons as well.

Book 5 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 5: Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise (Series: 43 Old Cemetery Road, Bk 1)

Ignatius B. Grumply is a washed-up children's book author desperate for another best seller. He is determined to write #13 in his Ghost Tamer series and nothing, not even a terrible case of writer's block will stop him!

In order to get away from it all and get his head in the writing game, Ignatius decides to leave his home in Chicago and rent the 32 1/2 room victorian mansion and 43 Old Cemetery Road in Ghastly, Illinois. What he doesn't expect is to be sharing the house with an eleven-year old boy named Seymour Hope, his cat, Shadow, and a ghost! At first, Ignatius refuses to believe that the ghost of Olive C. Spence is haunting his rental home and thinks that Seymour is behind all of the spooky happenings. But over the course of the summer he not only comes to believe in Olive but welcomes her help co-writing his book!

I've enjoyed the Klise sister's (Kate is the writer, M. Sarah is the illustrator) work for a long time beginning with their hilarious Regarding the Fountain. Their newest book is just as much fun (and the beginning of another series!) I love the different methods they use to tell a story - in this one it's letters, newspaper articles and illustrations. It's a totally different way of reading and highly enjoyable! As with their other books, all of the character's names in Dying to Meet You are puns and plays-on-words: Anita Sale, E. Gadds, Paige Turner, Frank N. Beans, Olive C. Spence, M. Balm, Seymour Hope, Kay Daver and Fay Tality just to name a few.

I especially liked how Ignatius grew as a person over the course of the story. In the beginning he was miserable, grumpy and not pleasant to be around. By the end he had changed, realizing that it wasn't other people who made him so grumpy and caused his writer's block - he brought it on himself. In one poignant discussion, Olive helps open Ignatius' eyes to this fact:

"All I'm saying is that your life is a story, and that you are the main character of that story. Is your story a comedy or a tragedy? Is it dull? Or is it a compelling, spine-tingling drama? My point, Iggy, is simply that each of us is the author of his or her own life. So if you're telling me that you've changed, I'm pleased at your authorship."

A wonderful read with fun, engaging characters. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next installment of 43 Old Cemetery Road: Over My Dead Body (coming in October 2009).

Book 4 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 4: Top of the Order by John Coy

"Jackson's parents are divorced and his mother has started dating. Gig's dad is in the National Guard and has been called up to serve in the Middle East. Isaac's dad wants him to go to a different middle school than all his friends. Diego is the new kid in school, a power-hitter who works with his family on the weekends and can't make every team practice. These four friends lead different lives, but on the baseball field, they're a strong team, the top of the order. In this crucial last year of elementary school, they're faced with preparing for middle school and dealing with a new member of their team - a girl!"

I enjoyed Top of the Order. There are lots of descriptions of baseball practices and games so if you like to read about that, you will definitely appreciate this book. I think boys especially will like these four friends and their passion for baseball. The boys are individuals and have their differences but they are alike in a lot of ways too and I think many elementary age boys will find their problems very relatable, especially their anxiety about heading to middle school. I also liked the inclusion of a girl on the baseball team and how that added to the dynamic of the team.

Overall, this is a great 3rd or 4th grade book for baseball fans. It reminded me in some ways of another baseball book (and former Book Buddies book) that I love: The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles. So come in and pick up Top of the Order and enjoy reading about one of summer's greatest traditions: baseball!

Book 3 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 3: Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison

Gilda Joyce is an aspiring novelist and psychic investigator. In her third adventure following 2005's Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator and 2006's Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake, Gilda accompanies her best friend Wendy Choy to the Young International Virtuosos Piano Competition in Oxford, England. Gilda goes as Wendy's official page-turner but she's mostly excited about having the chance to visit England, a hot spot for paranormal activity.

Once in England, it's not long before Gilda and Wendy are in the middle of a real psychic mystery. Someone is sending disturbing Tarot cards to the competitors to try and shake their confidence and Wendy is haunted by a disturbing melody that she can't get out of her head. Is a ghost is trying to communicate with her? Is Wendy in danger? Can Gilda figure out who is trying to sabotage the competition?

Gilda is a fun and quirky girl protagonist. One of the things I love best about her is that she has big dreams and isn't ashamed of them. She has no doubt that she will achieve everything she sets her mind to. She's also confident enough to be an individual - she's different and not embarrassed by it. I think this is best exemplified by her fabulous traveling wardrobe of unusual outfits for any occasion: "Tainted Royalty", "London Mod" and "Mysterious Traveler." Wendy is a great foil for Gilda - where Gilda gets easily carried away, Wendy is firmly planted in reality and has a hard time believing in things she cannot see. I thought that Wendy's personal journey was particularly interesting - throughout the story she grows and changes from the dutiful daughter to her own person, capable of making her own choices.

The mystery at the heart of The Ghost Sonata was a good one with lots of clues and creepiness to keep the reader on the edge of their seat and Oxford, England was the perfect backdrop for a haunting. I love a good mystery and I can't wait to get to Gilda's next adventure: Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop!

Book 2 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

Book 2: Slob by Ellen Potter

There's no doubt that I am a HUGE fan of Ellen Potter's work. I absolutely adore her novel Pish Posh and I love her Olivia Kidney series - in fact the first Olivia Kidney book was our very first book club book and also our first author interview! Giving credit where credit is due, it is because of Ellen Potter that the book club has done so many author interviews. I was asbolutely flabbergasted when she called me at the library and offered to talk with the club. She planted the seed that it might be possible to do author interviews if I just *ask*. What a novel idea... :-)

So naturally, I was overjoyed when I found out a few months ago that she had a new novel coming out, one that features a boy main character. And let me just say that she did not let me down!

Here's a brief summary of the book:

"Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he's also a genius who invents cool contraptions - like a TV that can show the past. There is something that happened two years ago that he needs to see if he ever hopes to unravel a dreadful mystery.

But genius or not, there is much Own can't outthink. Like how his oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. Or why his sister suddenly wants to be called by a boy's name. Or why a diabolical, scar-faced thug at school seems to be on a mission to destroy him. He's sure that if he can only get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation, not a cool contraption, for Owen to see that the answer's not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesn't have to feel small on the inside."

I loved Slob. Owen is a fantastic main character who refuses to be defined by his weight and is determined to unravel the mysteries of the past. I loved his relationships - with his mom, Zelda, his sister, Jeremy and his Indian neighbor, Nima (maker of the famous momos - where can I get some?) All of the characters felt authentic. In another author's hands, a character like the evil gym teacher, Mr. Wooly, might have come across as cliched, but not in Ellen Potter's hands. And most of all I loved that no one was who they first appeared to be on the surface, especially Mason Ragg. Everyone had their own deeper layers created by their own unique experiences. Which reminds us not to judge people (or books for that matter) by their covers since you never know what surprises lie just beneath the surface.

Book 1 of the Summer Reading Book Challenge

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've created a little book challenge for myself this summer. I am planning to read a book a week during the Summer Reading Program and I will write a review of the book here on the blog. I'll be reading a variety of books, new and old, that might be good choices for our Book Buddies Book Club. You can look for my reviews each week on Fridays.

Book 1: Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love by Lauren Tarshis

Emma-Jean Lazarus, the quirky girl protagonist we first met in 2007's Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, is back and experiencing rather alarming symptoms of Spring Fever. Yes, Emma-Jean has developed a crush - her first - on none other than Will Keeler, one of the most popular boys in her seventh grade class at William Gladstone Middle School. The Spring-Fling dance is fast approaching and this time the girls have to ask the boys. Emma-Jean isn't sure if she should ask Will since they seem so unsuitable for each other.


To make matters more complicated, Emma-Jean's friend Colleen, has received an anonymous love letter in her locker and begs Emma-Jean to find out who wrote it. Will Emma-Jean be able to solve the mystery and find Colleen's boy in time for the dance? And will she resolve her feelings for Will and survive her first crush?


I really enjoyed Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. All of my favorite characters from the first book are back: Ms. Wright, Vikram, Mr. Johannsen and all of Emma-Jean's friends: Colleen, Kaitlin, Michele and Valerie. Even the mean Laura Gilroy is back but this time Colleen finds the confidence to stand up to her, which was thrilling to read. Emma-Jean is as quirky and logical as ever, using her keen observation skills to find Colleen's anonymous letter-writer. She also takes a second-stab at match-making for Ms. Wright and intercedes on Vikram's behalf when she fears his love for her mother has clouded his decision-making ability.


I would highly recommend this book to fans of the first one as well as those who like confident girl characters who don't mind standing out from the crowd. My one reservation is that I'm not sure most middle-grade girls will find Emma-Jean relatable - but does that matter? It's nice to find characters you can relate to but it can also be very inspiring to read about those who are different from you, too.