Kids Blog : fiction

Turtle in Paradise

bookmarkbeck@evpl — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:08:00 GMT

The title is misleading. No, this book is not about terrapin, but it is about paradise-the Florida Keys. The main character is a little girl named Turtle. During the Depression jobs are hard to find, but Turtle's mother gets another house cleaning job. This time the lady hates children, so Turtle is sent to live in a place she knows nothing about with people she has never met. To appreciate this book, the reader needs a picture of Hemingway's Key West. By 1934, Key West was bankrupt and declared a welfare state by the governor. Paying jobs were hard to find. Cigar and sponging industries had moved. The Navy and Coast Guard had left. Henry Flagler's railroad was bankrupt and Mallory Steamship lines no longer stopped. Key West, once Florida's most affluent city, was 5 million dollars in debt. The city could not pay police, firemen, garbage collectors. Most residents were on welfare. The streets were littered and filthy. Homes were run down and industry gone.

This is the Key West Turtle comes to. The reader will think they are reading an island version of Huckleberry Finn as they enjoy Turtle's enterprising, free-footing, cousins, neighbors, and colorful characters of Depression era Key West. By the end of the book, Turtle really does find paradise. You'll enjoy this touching, well written read with historical notes at the end. Written by Jennifer Holm.

Brendan Buckley's Universe - and everything in it

kiya@evpl — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Brendan is a ten year old scientist. He likes to understand the world and how it works. He has a whole notebook of the questions he has about the world, and the answers he has discovered. Brendan is ten, and one day at a rock show at the mall, he accidentally runs into the grandfather he has never met - his mom's dad. No one will tell him why his grandpa Ed lives ten miles away, and they've never met. Brandon begins to suspect that it is because his mom is white, and his dad is black. Brandon is already struggling to understand why the color of his skin makes a difference to people he doesn't even know, and finding that some questions just don't seem to have good answers.

This is an interesting, thought-provoking book about a subject that can be hard for kids to understand. Sundee Frazier, the author, is multi-racial, and makes the subject accessible to pre-teens.

New Jim Arnosky Book

bookmarkbeck@evpl — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:21:00 GMT

Jim Arnosky, naturalist and artist, shows how familiar he is with the oceans, and particularly the Florida Keys, in this quick, suspenseful read for the 4th-6th grade crowd. The title is The Pirates of Crocodile Swamp. Jack and Sandy escape from a bad home enviroment and end up bayside off Key Largo, Florida in a crocodile swamp. They fight off snakes, rats, a eleven foot crocodile, and a hammerhead shark. They are befriended by an old Cuban refugee and a young Key Largo conch named Mia. Through all the uncertainty and danger, they stand by their pledge to live a pirate's life, always be together, and never return home the way it was. The turning point of the story is a little shocking, but the resolution is happy. The story is believable, thanks to Arnosky's knowledge of the area and writing skill, but the characters seem too young to do all the brave things they plan and carry out. Imagination is what makes it fun. The Arnoskys have based several recent books, DVDs, CDs around trips on their boat Crayfish in the Keys and other coastal locations. All are informative and beautifully illustrated. Good reads!

We missed you!

mrsweasley@evpl — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:34:00 GMT

If you missed our American Girls book discussion yesterday, you missed some historical Christmas treats. We enjoyed Addy's Sweet Potato Pudding, and Samantha's gingerbread. Peanut butter sandwiches represented Kit's depression-era fare, and an authentic family recipe captured the flavor of Molly's Christmas morning coffee cake.

The coffee cake recipe was given to me years ago by my mother-in-law, Anna Mae Jayne Soper (1933-1985), who was just about Molly's age. For those who attended and asked for it, and for anyone else who wants a taste of history, here is the recipe:

Dutch Cake

¾ cup sugar

1 cup flour

Butter or shortening the size of egg (I estimate this to be about 3 tablespoons)

1 egg

1 cup milk

Beat above ingredients together, then add:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Pour batter into a 9" round or 8" square cake pan. Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon before baking. Bake approximately 30 minutes at 375°.

If you love the American Girls...

mrsweasley@evpl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:28:00 GMT

...You'll love An American Girl Christmas at McCollough Branch this Thursday, December 4, at 3:30 pm.

Mothers and daughters (and Grandmothers!) are invited to share the stories of American Girls Addy, Samantha, Kit and Molly. We'll also be enjoying some historical holiday treats!

What does it mean to be poor?

mrsweasley@evpl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:50:00 GMT

People are talking about tough times economically, and many fear it will get worse. For an idea of what it really means to be poor, try reading Ruth White's Little Audrey. White writes in the forward that the story of four little girls and their parents living in a West Virginia coal mining camp in 1948 is essentially true. It is her family's story, told from the perspective of her older sister Audrey, who was 11 at the time.

The descriptions of a family coping with poverty remind me of the classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but this book is much shorter and could easily be read by a third-grader. There are people who enter their lives for only a short time, but leave a profound mark. Virgil is Audrey's friend who is teased by the other boys, but wisely uses his wits to survive. Miss Stairus is the teacher who wins everyone's heart, even the tough guys'. And then there is precious Betty Gail....

Who has made a difference in your life? Have you lived through a difficult time and come out stronger? You'll appreciate Little Audrey by Ruth White.

Stolen children??!!

UndergroundLibrarian@evpl — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:20:00 GMT

Fourteen-year-old Amy had just completed a babysitting course, but as Peg Kehret wrote in the first paragraph of Stolen Children, "it did not cover what to do if two thugs with a gun showed up. She had to figure that out by herself."

As you can tell from the title, Amy and her 3-year-old charge Kendra were kidnapped. They were taken to a remote one-room cabin with no electricity or plumbing and very little food. Amy did her best to keep Kendra distracted from their plight while trying to figure out how to sneak clues onto the daily videotapes the kidnappers took to send to Kendra's parents.

The kidnappers were new at this endeavor and what little plans they had made fell through before they even began. Amy knew that they had only intended to kidnap Kendra and had no use for Amy. Since she was old enough to recognize them, Amy was sure they planned to kill her before they returned Kendra, even if the ransom was paid. And even though it was obvious that the kidnappers were none too bright, there was still the threat of that gun, and a knife, too.

This story plot is a lot like another book I read a long time ago, Prisoners at the Kitchen Table by Barbara Holland. That title is no longer in print, or in the public library system. Has anybody else out there read it?

One way this one is different is that it tells the story from the point of view of various people. Most of it is through Amy's eyes, but parts of it are through her best friend Jorja who works on figuring out Amy's hints on the videos and what they might mean. We also see things from the point of view of other minor characters who might be able to help the girls get rescued.

It was hard to stop reading this book until I got all 165 pages finished. I HAD to know what was going to happen to Amy and Kendra!

Honey Cake

mrsweasley@evpl — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:39:00 GMT

Every year, David's mother bakes a honey cake for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration. Eating honey cake symbolizes the hope that the new year will be sweet. David's sister Rachel expresses the opinion of all Denmark in 1943: "A sweet year would be a year without Nazis."

For three and a half years, the Germans have occupied Denmark, and now word comes that the Nazis plan to round up Denmark's Jews. Even with the help of friends, can David's family find a way to leave the country before they are sent to a concentration camp? Secret messages, breathless escapes and courageous resistance will keep you turning the pages of this history-based story. Author Joan Betty Stuchner includes Mama's Honey Cake recipe to help you taste the sweetness of hope for freedom that David's family shared.

More Pilgrims?

UndergroundLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:57:00 GMT

With Thanksgiving on the way, it's a good time to consider the definition of a Pilgrim. Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen does just that. When Molly explains to her mother what her teacher told her about why the Pilgrims came to America, Molly's mother thinks it describes why their family came from Russia less than a year ago, too.

Molly's English isn't really good yet, and she suffers a lot from the teasing she gets for being different. Written in 1983, this book provides a good jumping off spot for discussions of tolerance and differences and how it feels to be the odd one out. Along with what IS a pilgrim, anyway?

Jack and Miss Stretchberry are back.

kiya@evpl — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:54:00 GMT

Miss Stretchberry loves poetry, and makes it part of her classroom every day. In Love That Dog, we meet Jack, who thinks poetry isn't for boys, and that he can't understand it. The story is told through Jack's poetry assignments. As the year unfolds, he finds that poems do have something to say to him. Meanwhile, the reader learns a lot about Jack.

Now, we have Hate That Cat, and find out that both Jack and Miss Stretchberry have been promoted to the next grade. Once again, a story develops as we read Jack's assignments, and learn about his family.

Sharon Creech includes the text of some of the poems Jack and his classmates study in school. Both books are touching, funny stories, even as they arouse the reader's interest in poets and poetry.

Love That Sharon Creech.

How Long Could YOU Keep From Talking?

UndergroundLibrarian@evpl — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:12:00 GMT

Dave was normally a pretty noisy 5th-grader. In fact, maybe he was a loudmouth. But after reading about Gandhi, and how for many years he spent one day a week not talking at all, Dave thought it was worth finding out what it would be like to keep silent. After about a half day of trying silence on his own, he and Lynsey took up a dare to make silence a contest between the 5th grade boys and the 5th grade girls. They set the time limit of 2 entire days. Exceptions were only that they were allowed to respond to a teacher with a 3-word answer. Any more words counted as points for the other side.

What happened to the teachers when the lunch room was entirely silent? How did they manage in their classes?
Who won? And how DID it feel to keep mostly silent for all that time?

Andrew Clements has come up with another unique situation for his characters in No Talking.

Do you think you could keep silent for even one entire day?

Osborne, Usborn, Usborne, Us Born Books, whatever?

bookmarkbeck@evpl — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Is anyone familiar with this publisher and the Usborne Books? I don't mean Mary Pope Osborne, but that's what came to mind when my next door neighbor started raving about the beautiful educational books she buys for her daughter.

Then I remembered, I have one on my bookshelf-On the Beach a lift the flap book . I love it! The illustrations are filled with beautiful color , detail, and dimension. The text is informative. What intrigued me was that these books can be

purchased at book parties-just like tupperware. You can attend a party or give one, be a consultant just like Mary Kay and make up beautiful bookshelves instead of faces. Is anyone a consultant or knows one? Has anyone been to a party? We have lots of these books in the system and I'm glad. Thanks EZReader. Look under Usborne and enjoy.

Greg Heffley fans, Unite!

mrsweasley@evpl — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:24:00 GMT

For some wacky fun, join us at McCollough Branch for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," a program based on the popular book series by Jeff Kinney. We'll have some crazy activities, mostly involving toilet paper, and you can earn "Mom Bucks" just like Greg and Rodrick.

Be there at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, September 11, in McCollough Branch's meeting room. And in the meantime, tell me what you think of Greg Heffley's journals.

"Is Will the next Harry Potter?"

bookchick@evpl — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Do you ever wonder what goes on underneath your feet? Will does. His Dad does. They love to discover what the past has left behind. It is one of the only things they have in common. In fact, Will feels like an outsider to everyone in his family. Then his Dad disappears! Will is drawn deeper and deeper into the underground as he struggles to find out what happened to his Dad. What he actually finds will test his understanding of the world and his place in it.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams is an international bestseller first published in 2005 in Britain under the name The Highfield Mole. There will be at least two more books in this series. The next one called Deeper will be available in Feb. 2009.

Movie deals are also being made. Relativity Media bought the rights to Tunnels and the film is due to be released in 2010.

I really like this book but the question it seems people are asking is, "Is Will the next Harry Potter?" I thought the book stood very well on its own but...

I would love to hear what you think.

woodrat

bookmarkbeck@evpl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:41:00 GMT

Woodrat Jill by Nicky Laak

Keep an eye open for this one. The author, (a Keys resident of 16 years originally from Sussex England) feels it's very important to protect endangered species - especially the Key Largo woodrat which has been maligned in the past.

She wants to share this with children in her position as teacher-librarian. Her book is a story of Jill the woodrat(born in a zoo) being released into a North Key Largo hardwood hammock(raised island of trees). This book is largely accurate

about local wildlife details. Readers meet a croc named Chrissy and a woodrat named Pedro. Appeals to 3rd grade and up. Has focus on nature and scientific terms. Has beautifully illustrated cover with kid appeal. Ask me for website where

you can view video of mother woodrat protecting her pups. Would also recommend Parrotfish and Sunken Ships by Jim Arnosky