Stand-out Authors: Shannon Hale

Stand-outs 2

I’ve now posted 12 years of Sonderbooks Stand-outs, and this year I noticed there were a lot of repeats from previous years.

Now, I don’t think I’m biased in a bad way. Yes, I expect good things when I pick up these authors’ books, but they consistently turn out good ones. Some of them can’t seem to write a book I don’t like.

So, looking at only the authors who appeared in the 2012 list, I thought it would be fun to look back at their previous books that were Sonderbooks Stand-outs.

I’m going to start with Shannon Hale, because she has 3 books on the 2012 Stand-outs, and she also has more total books on all the Stand-outs lists than any other one of this year’s authors, with 15 books.

How, you may well ask, did Shannon manage to get more books on my Stand-outs lists than she has published? Well, her books tend to be stand-outs both in print form and as audiobooks.

Let’s do a retrospective.

In 2003, Shannon published her first book, The Goose Girl. It was my favorite book of the year, and #1 in Young Adult Fantasy.

In those days, there weren’t as many book blogs. I e-mailed Shannon to tell her I’d named her book a Sonderbooks Stand-out, and we struck up an e-mail friendship. Judging by how much I love all her books, it’s obvious we are kindred spirits.

2004 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #4 in Fantasy for Young Adults was Enna Burning, the second of the Books of Bayern.

2005 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #9 in Young Adult Fantasy was Princess Academy. I was so happy when it won a Newbery Honor, even though I’m a little more partial to the Books of Bayern myself.

2006 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #2 in Teen Fiction was River Secrets (edged out only by The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner)

2007 was Shannon’s first year with multiple Sonderbooks Stand-outs. I got to listen to an audiobook of The Goose Girl (#2 in Audiobooks), and she wrote my favorite book of all of hers, Book of a Thousand Days, which was #1 in Teen Fantasy Fiction. And she broke into adult books with Austenland, which was #2 in Romance Fiction.

She topped her record in 2008 with 4 Sonderbooks Stand-outs:
Three of them were Audiobooks:
Book of a Thousand Days was #1.
Enna Burning was #4.
Princess Academy was #6.
And Rapunzel’s Revenge was #2 Graphic Novel of the year.

2009 Sonderbooks Stand-outs had another of the Books of Bayern, with Forest Born at #3 in Fantasy Teen Fiction.

After 2009, Shannon had twins, so there’s no surprise she had a few years off my lists. In the meantime, I got to meet her at the National Book Festival. I was so happy when she knew who I was as soon as I said my name!

Perhaps it’s getting where I’m biased about Shannon’s books because I like her so much, but I became her friend because of her books, and I’m not going to stop telling people how wonderful I think her books are simply because I think she’s wonderful, too.

And this year she’s back on my 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs three times!

Midnight in Austenland completely hit a sweet spot for me. It’s for adults, a Jane Austen take-off, and has a divorced heroine seeing the truth about how valuable she is. It was my favorite adult book of the year.

And then Palace of Stone was #6 in Teen Fiction, and I finally read Shannon’s one book that I hadn’t read yet, The Actor and the Housewife, which was #6 in Other Fiction.

I think it’s safe to call Shannon Hale one of my favorite authors! If you haven’t read all her wonderful books, consider this a To Be Read List!

Review of Austenland, by Shannon Hale

Austenalia, Chick Lit, Fiction Review, Romance, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

Austenland

by Shannon Hale

Bloomsbury, 2007. 197 pages.
Starred Review
2007 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #2 Romance Fiction

I read Austenland when it first came out, but 2007 was a hectic year for me, what with finishing up my MLIS degree and working half-time and desperately needing a full-time job (and eventually finding one). So I didn’t get a lot of books reviewed that year, and never did post a review of this book.

This year, when Midnight in Austenland came out, it was a lovely excuse to reread Austenland and finally remedy that fault. I did not need to reread Austenland at all to enjoy Midnight in Austenland, since they involve different characters. But it did make a lovely excuse to enjoy this one again.

I am an avid and unashamed Jane Austen fan, and this book is one of my favorite take-offs on her work. The idea is simple: A theme park in England where women can pay to spend a few weeks immersed in a Jane Austen novel, to pretend they are really there.

Jane Hayes wasn’t rich enough to go there on her own steam, but her great-aunt Carolyn spots Jane’s hidden DVD of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth, and Aunt Carolyn figures out Jane’s obsession. She has some wise words about figuring out what’s real.

But then Aunt Carolyn goes a little farther. In her will, she gives Jane an all-expenses-paid trip to Austenland. The trip is nonrefundable, so Jane decides to take it. She reflects:

Jane lay back down, but this time placed the throw pillow under her head. Okay, all right, she would go. It would be her last hurrah. Like her friend Becky, who’d taken an all-you-can-eat dinner cruise the night before going in for a stomach stapling. Jane was going to have one last live-it-up and then quit men entirely. She’d play out her fantasy, have a staggering good time, and then bury it all for good. No more Darcy. No more men — period. When she got home she’d become a perfectly normal woman, content to be single, happy with her own self.

She’d even throw away the DVDs.

Well, needless to say, things don’t turn out quite as Jane expects. Along the way, we’ve got all kinds of fun and of course some mistaken first impressions.

This is a light and fluffy book, and so much fun. Clearly, Shannon Hale filled it with love and respect for Jane Austen, and she pulled off an appropriate tribute that’s a wonderful book in its own right.

Now I just wish someone would really create such a place as Austenland, and that I could go!

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Fiction/austenland.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on my own copy, purchased from Amazon as soon as it was published.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I write the posts for my website and blogs entirely on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of Oh, No! by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Readalouds, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

Oh, No!

Words by Candace Fleming
Pictures by Eric Rohmann

Schwartz & Wade Books (Random House), New York, 2012. 36 pages.
Starred Review
2012 Sonderbooks Stand-out #9 Picture Books

This book charmed me from the moment I saw it. I simply had to read it aloud. The story can be sung to the tune of “Froggie Went a-Courtin’,” with a few adjustments. In place of “Uh-huh,” you’ve got a refrain of “Oh No!” in very appropriate spots at the end of each verse, and other fun sound effects earlier in the verses.

The story is simple: Several animals fall into a hole, and can’t get out, and it looks like Tiger will eat them. When each animal falls in, we have appropriate sound effects: “Ribbit-oops!” for frog; “Pippa-eek!” for mouse; “Soo-slooow!” for loris; “Grab on!” for sun bear (bending down a branch); and “Wheee-haaaa!” for monkey. When tiger comes to taunt them, anticipating his dinner, it’s “Slop-slurp!”

But someone bigger than Tiger comes along to help, the tables are turned, and no one gets eaten. Will the animals help Tiger out of the trap? “Oh, no!”

Caldecott winner Eric Rohmann has outdone himself with the beauty of these illustrations. The book has so many elements great for a storytime picture book: A catchy tune or rhythm (if you don’t want to sing it), fun sounds, repetitive and progressive story line with nice twists, animals they might not have known, and a turn-about story that will appeal to their sense of justice.

Now, there are some places where the exact tune has to be adjusted a bit. Personally, I found I was not capable of reading it straight, without putting it to the tune. Others may have better luck! But either way, this book begs to be read or sung aloud, and you will definitely want to share it with a child.

candacefleming.com
ericrohmann.com
randomhouse.com/kids

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/oh_no.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I write the posts for my website and blogs entirely on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs: Nonfiction

Nonfiction Review, Stand-outs 0

I announced my 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs on January 1st, but I’m highlighting each category on my blog. Then I’m updating the webpages of all the already-posted reviews in that category with my Sonderbooks Stand-outs Seal. (I always love alliteration.)

Nonfiction for adults is the final category left. Sometimes I don’t give it all the attention it deserves, and this is the category where I have the most reviews still to post, but there are some truly wonderful books listed here.

I read Nonfiction differently than I read Fiction. I didn’t use to read a lot of Nonfiction until I started working in a library, back in 1998. Then so many fascinating books came past my desk, I started devouring them. But I quickly learned that if I read them at bedtime, like I do novels, I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about them when it’s time to sleep.

So I read Nonfiction at the table. I’ve got a “book chair” for propping them up, and I read while I eat. (Yes, even library books. Don’t tell!) When I finish eating and keep reading, I read while I knit.

And instead of reading them one at a time, like I do fiction, I’ve got an elaborate rotation worked out. I’ve got piles of inspirational nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and educational nonfiction, and I read one chapter at a time, then take the next book from the pile and put the one I just read on the bottom.

Yes, it takes a long time to get through the books that way. Some of these listed here I began in 2011. Some books never made the list, because I found I didn’t really remember what I’d last read. (The good ones stick in your mind.) And of course, some were excellent books, but just not my very favorites.

There were exceptions, particularly in Narrative Nonfiction (Personal Stories). Some I couldn’t stop and once I started, I sat down and finished. In fact, several of these Personal Stories Stand-outs were in that category. With A History of English in 100 Words, I moved it to my daily pile and read a section on one word each day. It still took almost 100 days (some days I read an extra section), and isn’t a flashy book, but looking back, I really enjoyed that tidbit each day.

My favorite nonfiction book read this year, The Reading Promise, I listened to in Audiobook form. It had so much going for it: An issue I feel passionate about (reading to children), laugh-out-loud and heart-warming anecdotes about a kid and her dad, references to much-loved children’s books, and even a call to action at the end.

So here are my personal favorite Nonfiction books read in 2012, broken into two categories and ranked simply by how much I enjoyed them. All the books are recommended. I’ve written reviews of all of them, but not all are posted yet. I will remedy that in the next week or two.

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs, Nonfiction: Personal Stories:

1. The Reading Promise, by Alice Ozma
2. Some Assembly Required, by Anne Lamott, with Sam Lamott
3. A Jane Austen Education, by William Deresiewicz
4. Map of My Dead Pilots, by Colleen Mondor
5. The Journal of Best Practices, by David Finch
6. The Boy Who Met Jesus, by Immaculee Ilibagiza
7. Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt, by Christi Paul

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs, Other Nonfiction:

1. Help Thanks Wow, by Anne Lamott
2. So Good They Can’t Ignore You, by Cal Newport
3. A Praying Life, by Paul E. Miller
4. Fat Is the New 30, by Jill Conner Browne
5. Victory Over Verbal Abuse, by Patricia Evans
6. The Brain That Changes Itself, by Norman Doidge
7. Each Day a New Beginning, by Karen Casey
8. The Story of English in 100 Words, by David Crystal

Happy Reading!

Review of The Cabinet of Earths, by Anne Nesbet

Adventure, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

The Cabinet of Earths

by Anne Nesbet

Harper, 2012. 260 pages.
Starred Review
2012 Sonderbooks Stand-out:
#2 Children’s Fiction: Fantasy and Science Fiction

It’s hard not to like a children’s fantasy tale set in Paris. (Okay, it’s hard for me not to like any book set in Paris.) Now, Maya, the main character, is not happy to be in Paris, and I like the way they explain it, not in a feel-sorry-for-herself way:

Her mother had a saying for bad days: Life is full of lessons, and the grades aren’t fair. By which she might as well have said, Sometimes your mother gets sick — really sick, like having to go through chemo and losing all her hair and most of her get-up-and-go — and you have to be a very good sport. Not just for a day or a summer, but for years. And here are the lessons Maya had learned about trying to be always, always a good sport:
1. it’s exhausting; and
2. nobody notices; and
3. it doesn’t really work very well, anyway.

After Maya’s mother is recovering from chemo, she encourages Maya’s dad to accept a fellowship he’s been offered to move the whole family to Paris for one year. Maya’s mom has a cousin in Paris. Maya’s little brother is annoyingly happy with the whole thing, and makes French-speaking friends at his new school almost instantly.

But there are some strange things happening in Paris. The Society of Philosophical Chemistry that gave her dad the fellowship has some mysteries. Its director is a distant relation. He’s young and handsome, and he seems awfully eager to meet Maya and her brother James. For years, children have gone missing from that section of Paris. Then there’s Cousin Louise, who is strangely invisible and unmemorable. She has to ask Maya to get even a waiter’s attention.

She was strangely hard to see. No color to her, somehow, just an oddly muted effect, as if there were a curtain of frosted glass between Maya’s eyes and her. Or a kind of haze in the air, almost. Just an ordinary sort of woman, but too vague to be properly ordinary, because ordinary ordinary people become more vivid when you pay attention to them, and this woman — well, you couldn’t quite focus on her, somehow.

All the mysteries seem to be focused around an amazing and beautiful old cabinet filled with bottles of earth that is in the possession of another distant relation of theirs — an eccentric old man who never leaves his home.

The mysteries and the adventure and the danger are woven together skillfully. Maya has to figure out her part in all these secrets, and then try to avert disaster.

I had one teeny-tiny complaint: I didn’t think that James talked like a five-year-old. But that’s minor, and I was able to adjust my image of him when the author mentioned his age. Perhaps his annoying charisma that makes everyone love him also made him a precocious conversationalist.

And like I said, that complaint was extremely minor. Overall, this book is a highly unusual magical adventure tale. We’ve got a modern child up against sinister forces in an unfamiliar environment and a mystery to solve before it’s too late. And it’s all set in Paris! Win-win!

annenesbet.com
harpercollinschildrens.com

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/cabinet_of_earths.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I write the posts for my website and blogs entirely on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs: Science Fiction and Fantasy Children’s Fiction

Children's Fiction Review, Stand-outs 0

I’m doing blog posts about my 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs, and I’m finally getting to the category for which I was a Cybils judge, Science Fiction and Fantasy for Middle Grade Readers. The Cybils list was created by our panel of 7 people, and they were a fabulously insightful group to work with. The list here simply represents my own personal favorites. The Cybils list has a little more variety (and, yes, I’m very happy with it and proud of it), but this list has a whole lot of love.

I haven’t posted all the reviews for these books yet. Soon! Soon! Do stay tuned! I’ll try to start with posting two tonight and catch up the rest within the next week or two.

I should add that judging for this category was a treat. I do love fantasy books, and this year I got to indulge more than ever. All of these books are recommended reading.

That said, here are the Fantasy and Science Fiction Children’s Books I most enjoyed reading in 2012:

1. The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood
2. The Spy Princess, by Sherwood Smith
3. The False Prince, by Jennifer L. Nielsen
4. Ordinary Magic, by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
5. Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin
6. Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, by Mike Jung
7. The Cabinet of Earths, by Anne Nesbet
8. Renegade Magic, by Stephanie Burgis
9. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne M. Valente
10. The Prairie Thief, by Melissa Wiley
11. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy

Watch for the remaining reviews!

And how about you? What were your favorite fantasy and science fiction books for children you read in 2012? (Links to other lists are welcome.)

Happy Reading!

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs: Picture Books

Picture Book Review, Stand-outs 0

Now let’s look at the 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs in the category of Picture Books.

This is my biggest category this year. This was one area where taking part in Capitol Choices benefited me. Many, many brilliant picture books were nominated, so I read far more picture books than what I reviewed.

Out of all those books I read this year, here are my favorites:

1. Penny and Her Song, by Kevin Henkes
2. The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! by Mo Willems
3. Z Is for Moose, by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
4. This Is Not My Hat, by Jon Klassen
5. Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! by Hyewon Yum
6. Bink and Gollie: Two for One, by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile
7. Bear Has a Story to Tell, by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
8. The Boy Who Cried Ninja, by Alex Latimer
9. Oh No! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohman
10. The Art of Miss Chew, by Patricia Polacco
11. Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
12. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, by James Dean and Eric Litwin

Looking at trends in the list, it’s heavy on books that make me laugh out loud and books that are charming. And reading aloud well is a huge plus. After a year of reading stellar picture books, these all have a special place in my heart.

To be honest, the reason Penny and Her Song firmly has been my favorite picture book of the year since I read it in January had to do with my “theme verse” of the year that I chose for 2012. Part of it goes, “There she will sing as in the days of her youth.” So I’d already been remembering back to when I was a little girl, dancing around the house singing. Then I read Penny and Her Song and found a kindred spirit in Penny. And it’s a fabulous book for beginning readers. And it’s a marvelous story. And I simply love it.

Now, I was extra pleased that the Cybils Beginning Readers panel put both Penny and Her Song and Penny and Her Doll on their list, but I hadn’t thought to be so generous, even though I also love Penny and Her Doll.

As for the other books on the list: Well, let’s just say that 2012 was a magnificent year for picture books. I will post another review tonight and finish posting reviews of the Stand-outs in the next week or two.

These ones don’t take more than a few minutes to read. If you worked with me this year, I probably have already pushed at least one or two at you and urged you to read it. So consider this post me doing that to you virtually.

Happy reading!

Review of Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, by Deborah Hopkinson

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Stand-outs, Starred Review, True Stories 0

Titanic

Voices from the Disaster

by Deborah Hopkinson

Scholastic Press, New York, 2012. 289 pages.
Starred Review
2012 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #3 Children’s Nonfiction

Normally, I never ever read disaster stories. It’s too easy to imagine it happening. I didn’t even ever go see the Titanic movie. I mean, come on, I know how it ends! The only reason I read this book was because it is under consideration by Capitol Choices.

That said, the book tells a compelling story. Though the author does stress the horrible loss of life, some of the impact of the disaster is softened because she focuses on the stories of survivors. Throughout the book, she uses quotations from the survivors, earning the book its subtitle Voices from the Disaster.

The book is also filled with photographs and written in an episodic way that makes you want to keep on reading and browsing. You’ll find out you don’t actually know what happened next, and you want to find out. In the back matter, Deborah Hopkinson even points to websites and still unresolved questions for those who want to explore further. This book is also an excellent look at how historians think.

In her Foreword, Deborah Hopkinson says it well:

Maybe the Titanic makes us all historians. We can’t help being curious: What happened? Why? Who said what and when? What did it mean? And, of course, what if?

deborahhopkinson.com
scholastic.com

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/titanic.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I write the posts for my website and blogs entirely on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of We’ve Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

We’ve Got a Job

The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March

by Cynthia Levinson

Peachtree Publishers, 2012. 176 pages.
Starred Review
2012 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #5 Children’s Nonfiction

I read this book because it was nominated for Capitol Choices for consideration as one of the 100 best children’s books of the year, and I was so glad I did read it. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Civil Rights Movement, but this book looked at a part I’d never heard about before, when children got involved.

The author makes the information interesting and accessible to young readers by highlighting the stories of four individual children from different walks of life who all participated in the movement. She tells how each child got involved, whether from noble motives or not-so-noble, what each one experienced, and interviews them today. I like the way she takes a big topic and breaks it down to show us how children actually got to participate and make a difference. The book has plenty of black-and-white photographs and weaves together the four storylines in a natural way that make the overall complex topic more clear.

The author tells at the end why she chose this story to tell:

Like Wash, James, and Arnetta…, I was a teenager in 1963, living in Ohio. Although I read newspaper articles about the marches, hoses, and dogs, it wasn’t until I was an adult, writing about music in the civil rights period for Cobblestone magazine, that I learned the heart of the story: all of the protesters assaulted and jailed that May were children.

How could I not have known? I had even taught American history to junior-high and high school students! My ignorance embarrassed me.

Many people, I realized, needed to know how a Children’s March changed American history. So, I set out to learn what happened.

The book she has written is a wonderful way to find out more.

cynthialevinson.com
peachtree-online.com

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/weve_got_a_job.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I write the posts for my website and blogs entirely on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs – Children’s Nonfiction

Children's Nonfiction Review, Stand-outs 0

Announcing the 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs!

Today, in honor of Nonfiction Monday (hosted by Hope Is the Word), I’m highlighting my Children’s Nonfiction choices.

These are chosen not by literary merit or what I think kids will like. These are simply ranked in the approximate order in which I enjoyed them, as much as I can tell when looking back over the year.

So, because MY enjoyment is the standard, it’s no surprise that once again a book related to Math takes number one!

I don’t have all the reviews posted yet. I plan to get at least two more posted tonight, and will shoot for posting the rest within the next week or two. They cover a wide variety of topics, and range from picture books for young kids to narrative nonfiction for older kids that explores the topic in depth. I’ve learned much from these books, and enjoyed myself while doing so.

Here’s my list of my favorite Children’s Nonfiction I read in 2012:

1. How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti and Yancey Labat
2. The Mighty Mars Rovers, by Elizabeth Rusch
3. Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, by Deborah Hopkinson
4. Balloons Over Broadway, by Melissa Sweet
5. We’ve Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson
6. Just a Second, by Steve Jenkins
7. Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar, by Mitsumasa Anno
8. Temple Grandin, by Sy Montgomery
9. Moonbird, by Phillip Hoose

If you haven’t had a chance to read these yet, I highly recommend them!

How about you? Read any great Children’s Nonfiction lately?