Published: May 21, 2008 10:36 am            

Good Reads: Books 5-21-08

‘BABY & JOURNEY: Two Novels

by Patricia MacLachlan



“BABY”: When 12-year-old Larkin discovers a baby sitting in a basket in her family’s driveway, Larkin, her parents, and her grandmother welcome Sophie into their home. They know Sophie’s mother will return one day and take her from them. But in time, through poetry and song, Larkin and her family come to love this baby as their own — and to face an unspoken loss in their past.

“JOURNEY”: Journey is 11 the summer his mother leaves him and his sister with their grandparents. He is sad and angry, and searches family photographs for clues that will explain why his mother left. In the process, the camera becomes a means of finding things Journey’s naked eye has missed — like the inevitability of his mother’s departure and the love that still binds his family.

In these acclaimed novels about family ties, Newbery Award-winner Patricia MacLachlan explores the healing powers of language, memory and love.



‘THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE’

by J.B. Cheaney

Twelve-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Sparks is ready to “SuperSize” her life. Equipped with her beloved copy of “Seize the Way: Ten Weeks to SuperSize Your Life!” (written by her idol Kent Clark), she’s itching to get started on pursuing her list of long-term goals. Too bad for Ronnie she’s stuck in Partly, Mo., with her widowed mother and ADHD afflicted brother Gee. It looks like she’ll have to put her dreams on hold until an unusual set of circumstances land her exactly where she wants to be. “In the Middle of Somewhere,” Ronnie finally will get a chance to spread her wings on a roadtrip in an RV across the state of Kansas.

On this weird, wild and windy ride across the prairie, Ronnie will discover life includes things you just can’t plan for … and maybe a little chaos is just what a girl needs.



‘LEEPIKE RIDGE’

by N.D. Wilson

A corpse, a dog, a flashlight, a castaway, and buried treasure set the scene for N.D. Wilson’s novel, “Leepike Ridge.” This story of 11-year-old Thomas Hammond and his accidental journey under Leepike Ridge is a thrilling archeological adventure complete with images from classics like “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Odyssey.”

Tom and his mother always have lived next to Leepike Ridge. He never imagined he might end up lost beneath it. But that’s exactly what happens the night Tom’s school teacher proposes to his mother. Angry and embarrassed, Tom slips out of the house and escapes down a nearby stream on a floating slab of packing foam. The quiet night and stars lull Tom to sleep, and when he wakes, he finds he has ridden his foam raft all the way to the ridge itself — where the stream dives underground.

What Tom finds under Leepike Ridge changes his life forever and answers questions he hadn’t known to ask — including the answers to how and why his father mysteriously disappeared. Now if only he can find his way home again. …



‘MY DOG IS AS SMELLY AS DIRTY SOCKS’

by Hanoch Piven

Meet a little girl who can’t wait to tell you about her family members — even the dog — through revealing and hilarious portraits she’s made of them using everyday objects.

When a girl’s teacher asks her to draw a picture of her family, she draws them like she always does — with a pencil. But when she gets home, she thinks about each person and starts to re-imagine them. For example, what is her baby brother really like? Well, he is as sweet as candy, as loud as an alarm clock. No, louder. He’s as loud as a fire truck. And so what do you see when you turn the page? A new picture of her brother made using these objects.

She goes through each family member, including herself, and once she has imagined what everyone really looks like, she asks, what does your family look like?



‘TAKE OFF: AMERICAN ALL-GIRL BANDS DURING WWII’

By Tonya Bolden

The male dominated scene of big band, 1940s swing music experienced dramatic changes during World War II, when approximately 16 million American men left to fight — opening the door for female musicians to shine. Award-winning author Tonya Bolden tells the story of how women seized the opportunity in “Take-Off: American All-Girl Bands During WWII.” Included with the book is a 16-track swing CD with a selection of songs highlighted in the book.

Bolden places the fascinating journey of these pioneer female musicians — including Marian Pankey’s Female Orchestra (all black), Babe Egan’s Hollywood Redheads (all white) and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm (mixed) — in the rich context of the 1940s political and social culture, including issues related to the war, race relations and gender roles. This was a time when many refused to believe that women had a place in the jazz world, never mind wailing a sassy tune on a saxophone.

In “Take-Off,” Bolden brings to light the challenges and successes of the courageous and talented women who helped establish America’s legacy in jazz music.



‘SCRIBBLE’

by Deborah Freeman

This is the story of two sisters and their scribbling rivalry.

Emma likes to draw princesses. Her little sister Lucie prefers kitties. After drawing a “scribble cat” on Emma’s picture of Princess Aurora, young Lucie follows Scribble into the picture and tries to set things right. Emma and Lucie might not always get along, but can their drawings?



‘TOGETHER’

by Jane Simmons

Two dogs, Mousse and Nut, learn that even though they may like different things, they still can be best friends.

Have you ever noticed how being with your best friend makes your day brighter? Mousse and Nut have. They love walking together, playing together and laughing together.

Everything is wonderful — until they start to realize there are some things they just can’t do together. Can Mousse and Nut really be friends when they’re so different?

Of course they can.

These endearing, floppy dogs teach a gentle lesson about friendship.



‘CUTIE PIE!’

by Matthew J. Kempler

“You’re the apple of my eye. Are you an apple pie? No, sweetie! You’re not an apple pie.” So begins the interactive book for the youngest of readers. With artwork, liftable flaps and a mirror at the end of the book, children will be enchanted by this lively look at babies and toddlers and the pies they are compared to.

As the children lift the shaped flaps of the book’s pages, they discover babies and toddlers just like them. On the final page, babies can see exactly what type of pie they really are as they glance at their reflections in the circle-shaped mirror.



‘NAOMI AND ELY’S NO KISS LIST’

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

In “Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List,” Naomi and Ely find themselves at a crossroads in their relationship — one that started in their apartment building when they were children. Ely is gay, so there’s no chance they’ll end up together, no matter how much Naomi wished it could be.

So, to avoid future heartache, they create a “No Kiss List” of people who are off-limits when it comes to romance. Now students at NYU, the unthinkable happens and a guy comes between them. Thus begin the ups and downs, and joys and heartache of young adult romance and friendship. Along the way, readers will meet a crazy cast of characters: the hot doorman, the not-hot girl who’s a rock-solid friend, Ely’s moms, Mrs. Loy, the British-style Bingo caller in their building, and Cutie Pie, the Chihuahua who seems to know all.

The story reminds teens that love can come in all forms, and is one that readers will recognize, pine for, and empathize with as they whiz through the pages, eager to find out what becomes of Naomi and Ely.

        

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