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.