George Crum and the Saratoga Chip by Gaylia Taylor

This is classified as a biography, but it is highly speculative. Would you call that a "pseudobiography"? George Crum is widely thought to be the inventor of the potato chip. This feisty man of African American and Native American heritage was a cook in a hoity toity restaurant where his frustration with a picky customer resulted in one of the most popular snack foods today.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Bethany Cole is an only child. As she approaches her 13th birthday, her mother becomes more and more distraught, and Bethany is left with an aunt she never knew she had while her father "gets help" for her mother. At least that's what Bethany is told. But people is Aunt Myrlie's town have shocking reactions to Bethany's appearance, and Bethany begins to question her parents' past as well as her own. Double Identity is a fast-paced YA thriller, which brings up some sticky ethical questions. Great read!

On with the reading

Having finished May Bird, what am I reading now in the realms of children's literature? Currently, I'm working on Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix, which is on the Texas Bluebonnet List this year, which I'm really enjoying. It's a real page turner. We also started reading Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean last night for bedtime. Perfect for getting near to Halloween!

May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson

This book could have been so good. And the story itself was really good. But Anderson should have stayed away from trying to describe the "location" of the Ever After and just left it to the readers' imaginations. As it was, it was hard to get past the utter implausibility of it. (Having a husband with a physics degree pointing out all the things wrong with it didn't help!)

That said, May Bird is one of the more endearing characters I've encountered recently. A friendless, skinny 10-year-old, May suddenly finds herself seeing ghosts. She ends up in an alternate reality on a quest of some type after finding a letter from the past that is inexplicably addressed to her. She is joined along the way by some interesting companions: Pumpkin the house ghost (a very lovable character), Julian, Bea, and Fabbio (specters), and, best of all, Somber Kitty.

I think I would have liked this book better had it not been read over the course of a month or so as our "bedtime" book. I also was very frustrated with the ending. While I realize that this is the first book in a series, the ending was completely unsatisfying. Unlike many series books I read, there was no real resolution at the end of the book. It couldn't stand alone at all. Which leaves me in a dilemma; do I care enough to read more in the series to find out what happens to May? I just don't know...

The Greatest Skating Race by Louise Borden

In January 1942, Piet Janssen leads two friends to safety in Brugge, Belgium from his town of Sluice in The Netherlands by ice skating the 16 km along the frozen canals. The story, written in verse, is quite gripping and the reader truly senses the danger the children face at the prospect of being detained by the German soldiers stationed along the canals, especially at the border crossing. The illustrations by Niki Daly, in browns and greys, are reminiscent of an earlier era and are quite fitting for the subject matter.

Texas Bluebonnet Award and Name that Book

As a means of keeping up with current children's books, I've tried over the past couple of years to read the books nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Last year was easy, since my daughter was participating in a Name that Book competition in her school district and the list was largely composed of Bluebonnet nominees. I read along with her last year; this year, however, Laura isn't sure she's going to participate in the competition, so I have to make a concerted effort to read the books on my own.

The list of books can be found here:
http://www.txla.org/groups/tba/nominees.html

So far I've read two of the books (Ballet for Elephants and The Misadventures of Maude March). Today I stopped by the library and picked up a few more: Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix, The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Lawrence Yep, and The Greatest Skating Race by Louise Borden.

Along the same lines, I'm reading off the high school list of books for the Houston Independent School District Name that Book competition to keep up with young adult literature. The list has a mix of true YA books and adult books (both fiction and non-fiction). That list can be found here:
http://www.hisdlibraryservices.org/Name_that_bookHS.html

So far I've read a few off this list, too: American Born Chinese, Freedom Riders, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Nineteen Minutes, Road of the Dead, and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party.

Several of the books on the list were ones I read before the list was published:
Catcher in the Rye, Devil in the White City, Like Water for Chocolate, Neverwhere, and The Book Thief.

Good reading all around.

The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis

My reading of children's/young adult books has been slow-going this summer. It took me way too long to read this book! And as a result, I don't think I enjoyed it nearly as much as I could have. The premise is cute; Maude and her sister Sallie are orphans who lose their guardian aunt in an unfortunate accident. A string of "misadventures" ensue in which Maude becomes a wanted woman. Sallie, the narrator, is spunky, while Maude is a bit sour (who wouldn't be angry in her position?!?). The book didn't really hook me until maybe the last quarter, at which point I read until I was finished. I think this book will appeal to readers who are interested in reading about strong female characters, as well as those who like books about the Wild West.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

No intentional spoilers will follow, although I can't promise my impressions of the book won't shed any light on the overall outcome of the book. You have been warned.

J.K. Rowling concludes her tale of The Boy Who Lived in this, the seventh novel in the series. Followers of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and all the others in the cast of characters won't be disappointed. In my opinion, Deathly Hallows is by far the most action-packed of the seven books, and I had a difficult time putting it down. I always say that one of the ways I judge if a book is a "good" book is if I dream about it. I've dreamed about Harry and his friends every night since last Friday night, I believe, to the point that at least one night I was "reading" the book in my dreams, developing my own plotline (too bad I didn't write that down!). Those who know me in person know that I'm not exactly a night owl, and if I pick up a book after 9:00 pm to read, you can guarantee I'll be asleep within 30 minutes, if not sooner. Not so in this case. I still had probably close to 200 pages left when I began reading last night and, even though I did battle Mr. Sandman a couple of times, I prevailed and finished the book a bit after 1:00 am. This book had me laughing and crying interchangeably, and the overall effect was one of great satisfaction. At the same time, I feel like I have said goodbye to a good friend (many good friends), and I was a bit melancholy once I finished the book. It's sort of like graduating from school and moving away, knowing that a part of your life has come to a close. I just hope that another part is opening for Rowling and that we will enjoy more books from her in the future. They're bound to be as fulfilling as Harry Potter has been for all these years. Thank you, Ms. Rowling for an amazing adventure.

What? I have to work instead of read?

My family (husband, 9 year old son, 10 year old daughter, and myself) all trekked to our local Borders Friday night for the Harry Potter release. We arrived near 10:00, and, naturally, it was very crowded. I was very disappointed in the event. I expected so much more for the finale, especially having been to two previous HP release parties at other Borders stores. My kids had no interest in the activities going on (the only ones that were really obvious were the Bingo going on in the children's department and a costume contest later on). I know there were other things, but it was hard to tell what was a planned activity in the midst of all the people. My kids were bored, and the only high point of my night was running into a former classmate and having a great conversation about job possibilities. Nevertheless, we stuck it out until midnight since we had "good" wristbands and were in the first group slated for distribution. We received the book by 12:30, which was great!

We had friends visiting this weekend, so we couldn't devote the hours desired for reading. I read a little over a chapter before going to sleep (miraculous for me, as usually I read a page or two of a book and fall asleep when I try to read before bed) and was able to sneak in a little bit on Saturday and Sunday. I'm so envious of my husband, who is a quick reader, who was already halfway finished by last night! I'm hoping for a quiet week so I can devote all my free-time to the book.

Harry Potter buzz

I have to say, I am busting at the seams waiting to get my hands on my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! We have two copies reserved at our local Borders, and we'll be there at midnight to pick them up. I was a little concerned that 2 copies wasn't really going to work out, since my husband, myself, and my 10-year-old daughter are all anxiously awaiting the release. I was prepared to sacrifice, since my husband is a quick reader, and I knew he would breeze through the book much more quickly than I will. However, my daughter is currently re-reading Half Blood Prince and says she plans to finish it before she starts Deathly Hallows. Yes! Now, how to fit reading time in while we have out-of-town company and my son's birthday party going down this weekend?

I am most certainly envious of my former coworkers in the children's department who get to really have fun with this! At least I get to enjoy it as a mom!

Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start

To kick off this blog, here's a list of the children's/young adult books I've read so far this year. I will hopefully go back and write individual reviews of these, as time allows, as well as reviews of all future books I finish.

1. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
2. Amalee by Dar Williams
3. Ghost Fever: Mal de Fantasma by Joe Hayes
4. The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore by Sid Fleischman
5. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
6. Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
7. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
8. Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White
9. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
10. Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse by Judith Rossell
11. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
12. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
13. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
14. Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
15. Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson
16. The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
17. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
18. Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
19. The Forging of the Blade (Lowthar's Blade, Book 1) by R.L. LaFevers
20. The Big House by Carolyn Coman
21. Wildfire! by Elizabeth Starr Hill
22. The Forests of Silence (Deltora Quest Book 1) by Emily Rodda
23. Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt