Dumplin’

Title: Dumplin’
Author: Julie Murphy
Series:
Recommended for: 9th grade and up
Pages: 384
Call Number/Link:  TEEN FICTION MURPHY

Synopsis:  For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell comes this powerful novel with the most fearless heroine—self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson—from Julie Murphy, the acclaimed author of Side Effects May Vary. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . .  until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

I loved Willowdean.  She and really all of the other characters are well developed, real and so much fun. The book addresses all kinds of teen problems and angst without being at all ‘preachy’ or serious.  Crushes, friendship problems, bullying, hurt feelings, insecurities, heartbreak, Will faces them all and comes out on the other side with her sense of humor and self esteem intact.  Willowdean and her circle of friends come to embrace who they are and believe in themselves, not in what others think about them.  Will is a great inspiration for any teen who feels they don’t fit in. As one reviewer put it, “I am happy to tell you no one loses weight in this book, and no one feels compelled to explain how a hot guy could fall for a full sized gal. Thank you. Seriously. Instead, you can expect to find some cross dressing Dolly Parton impersonators, myriad references to the song Jolene, and big girls showing up weird, loud, and proud to walk the beauty pageant catwalk.”

 

When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses

Title: When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses
Author: Rebecca L. Johnson
Series: n/a
Recommended for: 1-6th grade
Pages: 48
Call Number/Link:  J 591.47 JOH

Synopsis: Presents the various types of defenses mechanisms used by animals, including the bone spikes of the African hairy frog, the deadly poison of the blue-spotted N. taracua termite, and the hammer-like punch of the peacock mantis shrimp.

Did you know that the fulmar chick when it’s threatened will spew a foul smelling orange-yellow vomit to chase away its attacker or that a  horned lizard has the ability to shoot streams of blood from it’s eyes to defend itself?  These are the kinds of facts that are in this book about animal defenses.  Each chapter is about an animal that has a weird and disgusting way to defend itself.  The first part of the chapter describes a narrative in which the creature is under attack, and the later part describes the science behind the story, sometimes including information about how scientists made their discoveries.

This book could possibly used for a child writing a report for basic information, but I think this will really appeal to the kids who really likes the gross stuff.  The photography shows these animals in great detail, and often while they are doing what they do to defend themselves. 

 

 

 

The Octopuppy

Title: The Octopuppy
Author: Martin McKenna
Series: n/a
Recommended for:  Preschool – 1st Grade
Pages: 32 pages
Call Number/Link:  E MCKENNA, M.

Synopsis: Edgar wanted a pet dog, but what he got instead was a rather brilliant octopus named Jarvis.

This picture book is no different than other books about wanting a pet and getting a pet you didn’t want. Like all the other books Edgar, the boy, learns to love his pet by the end.  The huge difference is the other books had actual pets you can buy at a pet store, not this one.  Watch out pet stores you might have kids asking for an Octopuppy (Octopus) soon.  The octopus named Jarvis is so cool.  One thing that Jarvis does is wrap himself in toilet paper and pretends to be a mummy when told to play dead! I would love to have him as a pet if he could really do all those things pictured.  He can do things way better than any dog or regular pet for that matter.  The illustrations are wonderful and add to the text what is going on in the minds of Jarvis and Edgar.  I also like that the text is big and not text heavy in the picture book.

 

Mother Bruce

Title: Mother Bruce
Author: Ryan T. Higgins
Series: n/a
Recommended for: Preschool and up
Pages: 39 pages
Call Number/Link:  E HIGGINS, R.

Synopsis: Bruce is a grumpy bear who likes no one and nothing but cooked eggs, but when some eggs he was planning to boil hatch and the goslings believe he is their mother, he must try to make the best of the situation.

Bruce may be grumpy but he uses the internet to look up recipes, a grocery cart to collect ingredients in the forest and he likes to support local business.  This picture book made me laugh.  I had to check it out and read to my older children, who found it funny also.  The graphics are great and add to the great story as you can see Bruce is grumpy throughout the book.  The text is big, bold, and not a whole lot per page.  I think those who like Tops and Bottoms or Tacky the Penguin may enjoy this book.

 

Thirteen Chairs

Title: Thirteen Chairs
Author: Dave Shelton
Series: N/A
Recommended for: 5th- 8th
Pages: 256
Call Number/Link:  Teen Fiction Shelton, D. 

Synopsis: In an abandoned house, the ghosts gather. They argue, they laugh, and they tell their stories. Some tell their own stories, some tell stories they have heard elsewhere. Some of them are true, some are not. But each tale draws you closer.

One by one, the storytellers depart, until suddenly it’s just you and the narrator, alone in the dark…

My Thoughts: 8th grade may be pushing it a little for this one, but it’s a general all ages one. The stories for me were necessarily scary, but several of them were fun/creepy. This would be a great read for those who like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Goosebumps, or even Skeleton Creek.

 

Don’t Fail Me Now

Title: Don’t Fail Me Now
Author: Una LaMarche
Series: N/A
Recommended for: 7th grade & up
Pages: 288
Call Number/Link:  Teen Fiction LaMarche, U.

Synopsis: Michelle and her little siblings Cass and Denny are African-American and living on the poverty line in urban Baltimore, struggling to keep it together with their mom in jail and only Michelle’s part-time job at the Taco Bell to sustain them.

Leah and her stepbrother Tim are white and middle class from suburban Maryland, with few worries beyond winning lacrosse games and getting college applications in on time.

Michelle and Leah only have one thing in common: Buck Devereaux, the biological father who abandoned them when they were little.

After news trickles back to them that Buck is dying, they make the uneasy decision to drive across country to his hospice in California. Leah hopes for closure; Michelle just wants to give him a piece of her mind.

Five people in a failing, old station wagon, living off free samples at food courts across America, and the most pressing question on Michelle’s mind is: Who will break down first–herself or the car? All the signs tell her they won’t make it. But Michelle has heard that her whole life, and it’s never stopped her before….

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I loved that it had diversity not only in race, but in class as well. It’s also a kind of different take on roadtrips. It’s not about fun or getting over heartache, but literally a race to make it to the other side of the country before someone dies. At the heart of the story it’s really all about family. It’s more than just about the dad, who was a dead beat all around, but trying to learn to connect with a sister(s) you knew existed but had never met or seen. It was about learning how to connect when if feels like you are worlds apart, but learning you may be more alike than you could have ever imagine. This one is def. worth checking out/suggesting to the teens looking for a realistic story with a splash of drama.

 

Captain Awesome to the rescue

 

Title: Captain Awesome to the rescue
Author: Stan Kirby
Series: Captain Awesome
Recommended for: K – 2nd grade
Pages: 105
Call Number/Link:  J KIR

Synopsis: When second-grader Eugene and his family move to a new neighborhood and he starts at a new school, he has a chance to bring out his superhero alter ego, Captain Awesome, to find the kidnapped class hamster.

I picked up this book thinking it would be great for boys who were just beginning chapter books, and we know that it is a little more challenging to find a book with a young boys as the center of the story as opposed to young girls.  It has cartoons, larger print, and a main character who thought he was a superhero.  The reviews on NoveList were positive.  I was excited!  What a disappointment.  I found the story confusing, bouncing back and forth between Eugene’s thoughts/actions as an eight-year-old kid and those as a superhero. It could be that I am just too old to understand it. It did have some good points.  Eugene does make a friend, and he does solve the mystery of the missing hamster, but I thought appearing in front of his class a s a superhero was very farfetched. Maybe the reviewers of this book for NoveList are more educated than I am in good fiction choices for children.  I feel there are better books to choose than this particular title.

 

 

Milo Speck, Accidental Agent

Title: Milo Speck, Accidental Agent
Author: Linda Urban
Series: Maybe
Recommended for: 1st-4th grade
Pages: 272 pages
Call Number/Link:  J FICTION URBAN, L.
Synopsis: When Milo Speck enters Ogregon, a land populated with hungry ogres, enormous turkeys, children needing rescue, and his own, ordinary, salesman-father, his top priority is to escape–but only after thwarting a plot to turn children everywhere into ogre snack food.

Review: This is a fun adventure that kids will laugh as they are reading. I feel the book is also a good read aloud as my three children loved listening to the story.  Children who are new to chapter books may be afraid of the book because of the size, but I would like to point out that the chapters are short and it has pictures so that may ease some of them. Kids will easily connect with Milo as he is a regular kid. He uses his brain, common sense and compassion throughout the book.   My concern with the book is that the main girl character seems like she has never thought outside of the box, and is only thinking about herself and how she will look to the board. In a way Milo is the knight in shining armor or knight in yellow ducky sweatshirt.  She changes by the end of the book, but it took some time.  I would have liked a stronger female character. Over all a great book that could easily be made into a series.

 

Goodnight, Good Dog

Title:   Goodnight, Good Dog
Author:   Mary Lyn Ray
Series:   –
Recommended for:   babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Pages:   32 p.
Call Number/Link:  E Ray, M.

 

Rating:  ****

 

 

 

Synopsis:

“For one restless pup the waking world is too full of wonder to leave behind at bedtime, until he closes his eyes and finds comfort in his dreams”        (Provided by publisher)

Comments:

My first thought after finishing this book was:  “Lapsit!  Toddler Time!”  It could also work for Preschool Storytime.  It would be best for storytimes about dogs, bedtime and night time.

It’s a quiet book that could work well as a child’s last bedtime story, just before sleep.  Much like Goodnight Moon, the dog’s routine models things that a child can do as they are getting ready to fall asleep.  He inventories the house, thinks about favorite parts of his day, remembers words that he knows, curls up in his bed and says, “Goodnight, good dog.”  Next thing he knows, it’s morning!

Even though the book is quiet, it could work well for Lapsits and Toddler Time due to the brevity of its text and the cozy, familiar items the dog notices as he prepares to go to sleep.

 

 

Roller Girl

Cover of the book Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Title: Roller Girl
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Series: N/A
Recommended for: Grades 4-8
Pages: 239
Call Number/Link:  GN J JAMIESON, V.
Synopsis: Astrid is an impressionable grade schooler about to transition to Middle School.  In the summer prior to the 6th grade, she attends a roller deby event and is inspired to be become a roller derby athlete. She attends a summer roller derby camp and learns a bit more about herself, even as she and her childhood friend begin to drift apart.
Review:  Roller girl is a clever take on the middle schooler coming of age story. I am a fan of roller derby and this book did not disappoint. The main character Astrid is realistic and feels like a preteen, figuring out her place in the world. . The lost of friendship as Astrid and her best friend grow apart feels very real with a lack of melodrama. The book is filled with subtle nuances of character and told with a light touch. While seemingly inspired by Raina Telgemeier, I found this book to be even better than Smile

The best part was the underlying message, not of “believe in yourself and you will win” but “work hard and do your best.” It lacked the clichés of most “sports” books, in terms of underdogs and sudden mastery of difficult skills. I enjoyed that Astrid was still somewhat unskilled at roller derby in the end—though better than the beginning. If this turns into a series, I will be quite happy.