Ripley's Believe It or Not Special Edition 2010

Biblio Bits Ripley's Believe It or Not! Special Edition 2010, Ripley Entertainment Inc. , 2009 (ISBN 9780545143455)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 9-12

Genre Nonfiction

Plot Summary

Everything you ever wanted to know about what's wacky, weird, and wonderful in the world. Chapter headings include "On the Road," "Take Off," "Way to Live," "Art and Minds," "All Shapes and Sizes," and "Call of the Wild." Ever wonder about great triumphs of toothpick-sculpting? A LEGO tower that is almost 100 feet tall? How about a ten-mile-long gum-wrapper chain that took 40 years to make? Glow-in-the-dark tattoos? The Human Jigsaw Puzzle who is covered with tattoos, has horn implants, body piercings, and reshaped ears? All of this plus many more weird facts, people, and strange things---believe it or not!

Critical Evaluation

This title, like The Guinness Book of World Records, has great appeal for tweens. There is lots of potential for gross-out and wonderment within these pages. It is a great choice for magazine-lovers, as the pages and format read like a magazine: brief "articles" and lots of sidebars and photographs. The reading level is not high, so it may also be a good selection for reluctant readers.

Reader's Annotation

The most miniature knitted gloves, the tallest LEGO tower, mosaic art made with fruit stickers, a Cooper Mini with a toupee, and a man who cured his cancer by eating sand---all this and more within these pages! A great book for browsing and flipping through.

Author Information

Robert Ripley lived from 1890-1949 and worked as an illustrator for The New York Globe. He collected and published the quirky real-life wonders in a cartoon for The Globe. The cartoon was so popular that Ripley began traveling the world in search of new stories. According to the preface in the book, he traveled to over 200 countries and covered over 464,000 miles. There are 30 Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums worldwide, it was a TV show, and it is an annual publication. (Information in this biography is from the book itself.)

Challenge issues

There are plenty of things one might object to in this book, both aesthetically and morally (see above for examples). The larger issue of spectatorship with regards to other human beings and their choices or anomalies, could raise some lively debate.

Booktalking Ideas

A perfect book to include in a booktalk that features the theme of gross, weird and wacky. Coupling this title with The Guinness Book of World Records, The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science (Connolly), and maybe featuring the magazine National Geographic Kids could make an appealing booktalk for reluctant (boy?) readers.

Curriculum Ties

A fun creative writing prompt for this title might be to choose a page at random and to create some sort of backstory for one of the entries listed. What's it like for the Chinese waitress whose feet are turned the wrong way? How did she learn to walk? How did the man who created the longest gum-wrapper chain get his idea? What was he like as a kid, when he started it? What would it have been like to be involved with making the world's largest donut sculpture, sculpted out of real donuts?
The options are endless. It could also be an opportunity for a social studies research project or teaching research skills, to examine some of the places and details of the events and locations that are mentioned.

Why this book?
I had to have some representation of the gross-out genre in this project!

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Dragon Rider

Biblio Bits Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea Bell, read by Brendan Fraser, Random House/Listening Library, 2004 (ISBN 9781400090907)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 10-12

Genre Fantasy

Format Audio book

Plot Summary

When humans threaten to expand into the desolate north and into dragon country, the dragon Firedrake decides to search for the Rim of Heaven, a place of safety that only the oldest of dragons even remembers hearing about. Sorrel, Firedrake’s brownie companion, goes along for the adventure, though she’s not always happy about the lack of tasty provisions. Ben, a homeless human orphan, joins the mission, and frequently serves as a mediator between the human and non-human worlds. The party of travelers quickly learns that they are not the only ones seeking the Rim of Heaven, and sinister elements are aware of their progress towards that goal. The pace of the story builds toward an action-filled conclusion and the cast of supernatural characters (dwarves, djinns, humunculi, and mapmaking rats, for example) will delight fans of fantasy. Listeners of all ages will appreciate this wild adventure, full of humor, plot twists and unlikely heroes.

Critical Evaluation

This book comes alive through Fraser’s reading: he uses unique and memorable voices that augment the characterizations from the text. This story is a bit lighter than Funke's other works (like The Thief Lord and the Inkworld series), and has engaging chapters that alternate between various angles of the story. This technique creates suspense for the reader, as the action in the different story threads may be deferred for a chapter or so, while we hear about other elements and characters. Funke gives readers/listeners a solid, classic fantasy story, by using elements of humor and excellent character development and relationships to balance the suspenseful plot twists and action.

Reader's Annotation

Looking for a great audio book to take on your next family car trip? Fan of fantasy? Do you like a solid adventure story full of great plot twists and humor? Try this one!

Author Information

Cornelia Funke was born in Germany in 1958. She worked as a social workerand then decided to work as a children's book illustrator. When she became bored with the stories she was illustrating, she decided to start writing stories that would be more interesting to illustrate. In 1996, Dragon Rider was Funke's international debut and was on the New York Times' bestseller list for 78 weeks. Her books have been very popular in the US, and include the books in the Inkworld series and The Thief Lord, both of which are appropriate for tweens. She now resides in Los Angeles, CA with her two children.

Challenge issues

I guess that there are people that might object to anything, but seriously, with this one it's pretty much just a good story----nothing overly mature, rude, no swear words, sex, etc.

Booktalking Ideas

Stressing the relationships part of this book would be the angle I would recommend, something that identifies the interesting cast of characters: from the terrifying djinn, to the tetchy Gilbert Graytail, to the moody but loveable Sorrell. It is a book with a quest and a cast of unlikely heroes, and will have plenty of booktalking bedfellows in the fantasy genre. What is unique here is that Funke includes so much humor in the story, without making it overdone.

Curriculum Ties

This would make a fabulous read-aloud, if you can't get the Fraser reading of it. One fun way to link this to curriculum is with map-making. Gilbert Graytail's map for the travelers includes many colorful areas to indicate regions of danger, safety, cultures, friends and foes. However, he delivers this information to Sorrel and Ben orally; there is no key on the map to remind them of what the various colors mean. Students could draw maps to scale of their school playground, their route to school, or some place like a park or recreation area. With shading, students could indicate social groupings (for example on the playground), geographic features, and farming/industry/business. They could create keys for themselves but have other students guess at what the colors might indicate.

Why this book?
Truly, it is not often that I would recommend the audio version of a story over the book format, but in this case, Brendan Fraser's reading is exemplary. This may be the audio book that we have listened to, as a family, more than any other and each time, it delights us again.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Mystery of the Third Lucretia

Biblio Bits The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt, read by Krista Sutton, Random House/Listening Library 2008 (ISBN 978073936747).

Reading Level/Interest Age 920 lexile/ages 13+

Genre Mystery, Realistic Fiction

Format Audio book

Plot Summary

Kari and Lucas are two fourteen year-old best friends. When Kari's journalist mom gets a new job that requires her to travel more, she agrees to take both girls with her on some of her international business trips. On a visit to the Minneapolis Art Institute, in their home city, they notice an artist set up to copy a Rembrandt painting. When they want a closer look, they are growled at by the artist to "Go. Away!" They term this unfriendly fellow Gallery Guy and don't think much more of the incident. Months later at London's National Gallery, on their first international trip with Kari's mom, they head for the Rembrandt room and suspect that the artist copying another Rembrandt painting is their Gallery Guy, in disguise. The girls shift into surveillance mode, hoping to observe Gallery Guy and glimpse the painting, without his knowledge. They employ disguises of their own, but realize that the stakes are high when the regular guard of the Rembrandt room is suspiciously killed. When a new Rembrandt is discovered in Amsterdam, the girls decide to share their hypothesis with Kari's mom, but are unsure of how to get the art world critics to believe their story.

Critical Evaluation

Two strong female characters, a mix of art, art history, international travel, and culture, not to mention a great mystery---what's not to like? Krista Sutton does an excellent job reading a pretty diverse cast of characters; she conveys a variety of accents with subtle differences, and also pronounces Dutch street and place names with apparent ease (no mean feat!). This debut novel has many appealing elements, particularly the realistic friendship between Kari and Lucas. Their minor spats and tiffs, as well as their sillier moments (conducting giddy mock interviews in the bathroom at the National Gallery), are just as I remember my friendships in middle school. The initial coincidences begin to arrange themselves into a mystery and the girls trust their instincts and each other as they follow the clues. Sometimes their instincts are not always that brilliant, as when they decide one night to venture into The Quarter (the seediest part of Amsterdam), dressed to blend in (as prostitutes), in an effort to conduct surveillance on Gallery Guy's studio. The conclusion was definitely intense and nerve-wracking, as the threads of the story wove together. Fans will be glad to know that more Kari and Lucas mysteries are planned.

Reader's Annotation

Lucas and Kari are just two girls in middle school with the usual family problems. But their lives take an unexpected---and dangerous---turn when they suspect a major art forgery during their European travels. How will they get the grown-up art world to believe their story?

Author Information

Susan Runholt is a fan of travel, music, food, art, and feminism. She is the single mother of a grown daughter, who has been a consultant on this title and the subsequent installments. Runholt and her daughter, Annalisa, attended many exhibits at the Minneapolis Museum of Art when Annalisa was young. They attended a Rembrandt exhibit there that moved Annalisa to tears, and this event was an inspiration for The Mystery of the Third Lucretia. This is Runholt's first published work. (Information in this author bio is from here.)

Challenge issues

There are some mature themes here that contribute to the subplots of the story, such as the prostitution industry in Amsterdam, rape, and sexual abuse. There are no explicit details, but the references might spark further questions and discussion.

Booktalking Ideas

This would be a natural book to include in a booktalk on art and artists, particularly Rembrandt or Dutch masters, and a great pairing (if a little more mature) with the series by Blue Balliett that begins with Chasing Vermeer (2004).

Curriculum Ties

Oooooh, lots of great links for art teachers! The true crime genre of art theft and forgery has a lot of appeal for kids and adults. I could envision this book tying into an art class on painting and old masters. Many middle school art classes include an assignment where students are asked to paint a reproduction of a famous painting. There are some great passages that describe the need to observe the texture of the paint, the colors, etc. in person, which is what Gallery Guy is up to. What can students still observe from good-quality reproductions? What is lost/gained?

Why this book?

In the mood for a good mystery, and knowing that certain tweens I know have trouble finding mysteries amidst all the fantasy and vampire books out there, I checked the Debut Dagger Awards site and noted that Susan Runholt had been "commended" for this work of young adult fiction.

Series/Sequel

Rescuing Seneca Crane (2009)

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

No.

Eternal

Biblio Bits Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Candlewick Press 2009 (ISBN 9780763635732)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 14+

Genre Horror, Supernatural, Romance

Plot Summary

Miranda is having one of those days: tongue-tied during her try-out for Romeo and Juliet, laughed at by the popular girls, and then her secret crush gives his girlfriend a big kiss right in front of her. She's ready for a quiet night in with her friend Lucy to nurse her bruised ego. But Lucy has other plans: a trip to the graveyard to meet up with some cool, older boys. The creepy night is made scarier when the girls are separated in the graveyard; pretty soon it's clear there is menace nearby. What Miranda doesn't know is that she has a guardian angel on her side; just as she's about to take a fatal step, Zachary calls her name and shows his light-filled form. This is a big breach of the Rules and before he knows it, Miranda is gone and Zachary's having a stern talking to from the Angel Michael. He's punished, but not quite fallen. Meanwhile, Miranda is a neophyte vampire (excuse me, Eternal) princess, "living" outside of Chicago with the current reigning Dracula as his pet/daughter. Zachary's new mission leads him straight to the midwestern headquarters of the Eternals and back to Miranda. The two have a mutual attraction that seems impossible. Can Zachary save Miranda? Is there any soul there left to save? Does she even want saving?

Critical Evaluation

Told in chapters that alternate from Miranda's and Zachary's points of view, this book had many appeal factors: supernatural beings, romantic tension, and a glimpse into the vampire "good life." Smith's writing style is engaging: funny and glib, tautly descriptive, romantically tense (in a doomed Romeo and Juliet way), with references to popular culture (when Zachary is asked what he's doing, his answer: "I'm on a mission from God," clearly a reference to this movie). The pace is consistent, though the beginning had some slow parts. Readers may stumble, as I did, over certain turns of phrase and allusions to the supernatural world that I was unfamiliar with. Were the relationships between shifters (werebeings) and Eternals more fully explained in Tantalize (2007)? There were a few leaps of faith that Smith asked of readers, with regard to plot and details, such as the sentries that guard the castle. They take the form of wolves, but it seemed that they were Eternals in another guise. I wasn't clear about whether this was a form of punishment or an indication of their station in life. I also finished the book and didn't feel that certain details were worked out to my satisfaction; perhaps this means a sequel to come. These things aside, this would be a good recommendation for a bereft fan of the Twilight (Meyer) books.

Reader's Annotation

It's Romeo and Juliet all over again, except this time the two warring clans are Angels and Eternals. Will the love-struck beings find their way to eternal happiness?

Author Information

Cynthia Leitich Smith was born in Kansas City, MO. She has published works for children, teens, and adults. She teaches writing for children and young adults in the MFA writing program at Vermont College for Fine Arts. She has won awards for her works which often portray the lives of Native American children in a modern context. Smith is married to award-winning author Greg Leitich Smith and lives with him in Texas with their four cats. Smith is "a tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation." (Information for this brief biography is from here and here.)

Challenge issues

Possible areas of challenge: sexual tension; violence; some swearing.

Booktalking Ideas

Another perfect one for that booktalk around Halloween or that booktalk called "If you liked Twilight, here's what you should read next." Of course the romantic themes could be a draw also, around Valentine's Day, to focus on stories of star-crossed lovers: Romeo and Juliet, Trouble (Schmidt, 2009), An Abundance of Katherines (Green, 2006) to name a few.

Curriculum Ties

Why this book?

Another one that has appeared on the "if you like Twilight..." lists and an author who was reviewed in a group presentation on the genre of horror for tweens for this class (LIBR 264-10).

Series/Sequel

This title is considered a companion book to Smith's "dark fantasy debut," Tantalize (2007).

Awards
Book of the month, Native America Calling; YALSA Teens Top Ten Nominee.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

City of Bones

Biblio Bits City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderberry Books, 2007 (ISBN 9781416914280)

Reading Level/Interest Age 740 lexile/age 14+

Genre Urban fantasy

Plot Summary

When Clary Fray starts seeing things that her friend Simon can't, that's the first tip-off that Clary's understanding of reality is about to expand in a major way. She's still trying to understand the murder she witnessed (that appeared to involve some fantastic beings), when Clary's mom, Jocelyn, leaves her a garbled message and disappears. Clary has never known her dad, who died in a fatal car accident when she was too little to remember him, so suddenly Clary is on her own. When one of the murderers shows up and offers to help Clary, she is as confused as ever, and pretty soon is on a race against time to solve the mystery that will save her mom, with the help of a few Shadowhunters and some Werewolves. Clary discovers that her own history is not what she thinks it is and that her mother kept some important secrets from her.

Critical Evaluation

This fast-paced urban adventure story is compelling. It appears on several lists that liken it to Twilight ( Meyer), and though it deals with supernatural beings and has a girl protagonist, it has many differences that readers who are expecting a Twilight-like read might be disappointed in. First, the pacing is brisk: this book is action-driven, not character-driven. In this way, I would liked it more to the Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride series, where practically every chapter has an element of surprise/danger. There are more relationships in this book to sort out and many more plot twists. Because of the larger cast of characters, some characters seem a bit one-dimensional and predictable. Again, with the pace at which the plot moved, there really wasn't time to get too deep with any one character except for the most central ones. Romance? Well, sort of. Definitely some romantic tension, but this gets complicated as the story unfolds. The fun part is the details like the vampire motorcycles that run on demon energies or the eccentric character of Magnus Bane, the warlock of Brooklyn. But there are a lot of holes in this fantasy world which makes it difficult to enter into the story fully, if you are a picky reader.

Reader's Annotation

A great romp through New York City's underworld of the supernatural, normally invisible to us "mundies" (short for mundanes), on a fast-paced adventure to keep the balance of good and evil in order, with many plot twists to keep you guessing!

Author Information

Cassandra Clare (pseudonym) was born in Tehran, Iran, and spent her childhood traveling with her parents to various places around the world. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles, where she also lived after college and worked as a writer for entertainment magazines and tabloids. Clare began writing this first installment of the Mortal Instruments series in 2004, and took inspiration from the city of New York for the setting. Clare has also written Harry Potter fan fiction, and gained attention for her extensive works in this genre. (Information for this author bio is from here and here.)

Challenge issues

Yes there are! The supernatural beings might be enough to give some readers pause, but there is definitely some language and swearing in this book that may be inappropriate for younger readers.

Booktalking Ideas

Supernatural beings...the unexplained...searching for your identity...urban fantasy...myths. These are all potential booktalking buddies for City of Bones. Maximum Ride (Patterson) would be a good companion here, particularly because of the female protagonist and the angelic themes. This book also has plenty of suspense and "creepy" so it could be a good one to promote around Halloween.

Curriculum Ties

Students could be asked to take one of the Downworld groups, (like vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc.), and flesh-out their cultures a bit more. Students could research cultural explanations of the supernatural group they choose and begin to build a world in present day New York for them. How would their history with Shadowhunters influence their alliances, survival, and leadership? Where would they hang out? What would their headquarters look like?

Why this book?

The Mortal Instruments series has appeared a few times on lists of "If you liked Twilight, you'll also like..." so I decided to try it and see what I thought.

Series/Sequel

Yes, this one is followed by City of Ashes and then City of Glass.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Pandora Internet Radio

http://www.pandora.com

Interest Age Ages 13+

Genre All

Plot Summary

Pandora is a Web 2.0 tool for music, that is a product of the Music Genome Project. A user creates a profile and then can generate up to 100 (with the free account) customized radio stations. A user could search for an artist that she likes, say the Jonas Brothers or Black-Eyed Peas, and by selecting that artist's name, the Music Genome Project will generate a playlist of music that shares certain similarities (tonality, vocalist's gender, rhythm, etc.) with the artist you have identified. You will not be getting a playlist of only Jonas Brothers music, though you will get some, but you will be getting similar music. If the playlist includes a song that you don't think is a good fit, you may give a thumbs down, and likewise, if you really like a song, you may give a thumbs up. In this way, the Music Genome Project "gets smarter" about what you like and what you're looking for. With the free account, users must watch a brief advertisement once per hour, or each time you select a new station.

Critical Evaluation

Pandora seems like a great way to sample music and perhaps find some new artists; once you've listened to a few things on your playlist, you might want to purchase an album or new songs. It's fun to play around with it and make new stations to fit your listening mood: quiet instrumentals, raucous pop music, old-school rap, folk, indie, etc. This is a powerful tool to explore and underscores the Web 2.0 concepts of customization, "if you like this, try this..." and modifying results to return even better matches. The interface is easy to understand, and users have the ability to purchase a single song from a link box at the bottom. There is also information about the artist, album, song, their contributions to their genre, and lyrics. Users have the option to share a song through Twitter, Facebook, and email.

Reader's Annotation

Your own personal music stations to fit your individual tastes and moods, right from your own computer. Pandora makes it possible to get into your musical groove and discover new artists at the same time.

Author Information

The write-up from the website seemed so succinct that I have included it in its entirety here:

Since we started back in 2000, we have been hard at work on the Music Genome Project. It's the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken. Together our team of fifty musician-analysts has been listening to music, one song at a time, studying and collecting literally hundreds of musical details on every song. It takes 20-30 minutes per song to capture all of the little details that give each recording its magical sound - melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals, lyrics ... and more - close to 400 attributes! We continue this work every day to keep up with the incredible flow of great new music coming from studios, stadiums and garages around the country.

(For more information and to read more, check out Pandora's official site.)

Challenge issues

As with any online application, users are giving out personal information when they sign up: age, gender, location, etc. This may make some users uneasy, as data mining is so prevalent and internet privacy is of great concern for some users.

Booktalking Ideas

I would love to see Pandora included in a booktalk on music history and theory, perhaps mixing in some biographies of famous historical and contemporary composers.

Curriculum Ties

Listening to Pandora could be an interesting assignment for a music class (if all students are over 13 and parents agree to it), particularly comparing and contrasting the songs that Pandora "thinks" a user will like. Can we hear the similarities also? Does the Music Genome Project always get it right?

Why this site?
I have heard some tweens talking about playing around with Pandora as a way to explore new artists, for free, and you get to hear the whole song, unlike with iTunes.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Available on the internet.

Babymouse, Queen of the World (v.1)

Biblio Bits Babymouse, Queen of the World, Vol.1, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Random House, 2005 (ISBN 0375832297)

Reading Level/Interest Ages 9-12

Genre Humor

Format Graphic novel

Plot Summary

Babymouse is a middle-school-aged mouse with frizzy whiskers who attends school with lots of other kinds of animals (her teacher is a hippo). Babymouse's best friend is Wilson the weasel, who has been there for her since kindergarten. The queen of the girls is Felicia Furrypaws, who is cool, has smooth whiskers and great clothes. When all the girls except Babymouse get their invitations to Felicia's exclusive sleepover, Babymouse knows she must procure an invitation at all costs. When Felicia asks Babymouse for her homework in exchange for an invitation, and it turns out that Wilson's movie night is happening at the same time, Babymouse must make some difficult choices.

Critical Evaluation

Babymouse is a lovable and fallible hero. The illustrations are perfect: black on a white page, with pink as an accent. Babymouse indulges in some alternative fantasies (in space, as a detective, Babymouse vs. The Squid, etc.) that show us inside her creative mind, similar to Calvin's fantasies (Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes fame). The story is predictably familiar: the social complexities and attractiveness of the "in-crowd." It's a theme that will never be overdone for middle-schoolers: this is perhaps the most important tween story that can be told, because it's a story that is re-told and re-enacted every day in middle school. The language is simple, the illustrations are engaging, and this would be an excellent selection for younger tweens, particularly girls.

Reader's Annotation

Babymouse wishes for more glamor and adventure in her life, but all she has is "an overdue library book and a locker that stuck." Will she ever get a coveted invitation from Felicia Furrypaws for an exclusive sleep-over party?

Author Information

Jennifer L. Holm was born in California but spent her growing-up years in Pennsylvania with her parents and four brothers. She attended Dickinson College (PA) and moved to New York City to work in television production. Holm received a Newbery Honor book for Our Only May Amelia. She currently lives in the northeastern part of the United States with her husband, son, and cat. This was her first collaboration with her brother, Matthew, who is a freelance writer and graphic designer. (Information in this author biography is from the book jacket, as well as the author's official site.)

Challenge issues

Oh come on! It's a comic about a mouse with common social issues!

Booktalking Ideas

I would definitely focus on Babymouse's character by asking my audience some questions. Have you ever wanted a little more adventure in your life? More glamour? Ice cream for lunch? No homework? Straight whiskers? I would build up their empathy with Babymouse, and then allude to some of the social challenges she faces, such as: How about wanting an invitation to a party that "all the cool kids" are going to?

Curriculum Ties

This would be a really fun study for an art class focusing on comics. The illustrations are deceptively simple and would lend themselves to a lesson on the expressiveness of Babymouse's face. Studying the ways that Matthew Holm shows Babymouse's emotions could be a great way to inspire the aspiring comics illustrators. Students could develop a simple animal character and draw their faces in several moods.

Why this book?
My local YA librarian reported that Babymouse is a hit with tween girls, so I thought I should see what all the hype is about.

Series/Sequel
Yes!

Awards
ALA Notable Children's Books, middle readers' category (2006); Gryphon Award (2006).

Rockport Public Library owns?

No.