Bookscoops

The Scoop on Children & Adolescent Literature

Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper

Posted by hollybookscoops on January 25, 2010

petals in the ashes

I read this, the second in a series, without reading the first, “The Sign of the Sugared Plum”. My husband picked some great books up for me at the library when I was sick, and this was one he came home with. Luckily, it is great reading and stands on its own, without the necessity of reading the first book, although now I would really like to read the first one.

Set in England during the ‘Black Plague’ of the mid 1600s, two sisters Hannah and Sarah manage to escape the city of London with a wealthy family’s baby they hope will buy them health and peace in the country. Unfortunately, every city has rules for new occupants to pass health tests and the two sisters must wait out two months in a pest house. A pest house is the place where all the poor and deathly ill are ‘taken care of’ if you can call it that. Living in putrid circumstances, the sisters manage to remain healthy and take care of their charge until they are able to move to the estate that has sponsored their escape.

Amazing historical fiction- I have always been fascinated with stories of the plague. Perhaps knowing some of our relatives survived the plague’s destruction in Eyam, Derbyshire, England, contributes a little to that. Highly informative, this book also includes the Great Fire of 1666 a horrific disaster that burned much of London, and probably helped to cleanse the area of the Plague.

Posted in Books for Girls, Books for teaching history, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction | 3 Comments »

The Twelve Days of Christmas Books

Posted by bookscoops on December 13, 2009

We are thrilled to participate in the Virtual Advent Tour hosted by Marg from Reading Adventures and Kailana from the Written World. We loved participating last year with our Caroling for Christmas post. This year we are combining our feature from last year with the 12 days of Christmas Reads with the Virtual Advent Tour  and making this our Doublescoop feature for December. Caroling for Christmas was a family tradition growing up as well as doing the 12 Days of Christmas. Sometimes we participated in giving gifts as part of the 12 days of Christmas, but what we remember the most was our Great Grandma Whitman, the same one who arranged for all the children at a family reunion to spend time at the local library. For all her great grandchildren, starting on their first Christmas she would give a 12 days of Christmas Ornament, beginning with a partridge in a pear tree and concluding with 12 Drummers Drumming for our 12th Christmas. Miraculously, Cari actually had a few of the ornaments survive her childhood. Holly had more, but it looks like they might not all survive her boys.

So without further delay here are our 12 days of Christmas  Reads for 2009 in honor of Great Grandma Whitman, who loved literacy, The Twelve Days of Christmas and her family. Holly’s are the one’s in green and Cari’s are in red.

Cari's First 12 Days of Christmas Ornament

On the First Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Grandma Dowdel is back in a new and fun addition that rounds out Peck’s  two ‘Grandma Dowdel’ books A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. Which are two of our favorite reads of the year, and A Season of Giving was the icing on the cake. A few tantalizing tidbits about Grandma Dowdel’s life after the grandkids are grown and a story of love and hope for a poor minister’s family who happen to be her new neighbors. Grandma Dowdel helps out with her unique flair for stating the obvious and performing the devious. I enjoyed this glimpse of Grandma Dowdel’s lifelong pursuit of dishing out much needed anonymous ‘help’.

On the Second Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

A Special Place for Santa: A Legend for Our Time by Jeanne Pieper

If you’re looking for a way to combine Santa with Christian beliefs this is the book you want to read. I initially heard this book when I attended the Children’s Literature Book Club last year and was fascinated with the story behind Santa or more specifically St. Nicholas the patron saint of Russia and children.  This wonderfully crafted story  chronicles the history of a man who was born in Turkey who would later become St. Nicholas. Known for his kind deeds and rescuing children. I used this book this year as part of my church’s Christmas party and while not everything in the book matches with our faith tradition it does a beautiful job focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. I highly recommend the book to anyone with a wish.

On the Third Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me. . .

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by John Rox, illustrated by Bruce Whatley

A cute pajama clad girl, with hippos in her eyes, gallavants through this charming Christmas tale. If you’ve ever wanted something unusual and hoped and prayed or wished on Christmas stars to try to move the mysterious Santa to deliver the undeliverable, this is the book for you. I grew up claiming this song as my favorite Christmas carol, and have been extremely happy with the results of rendering it in print with adorable illustrations! I recommended it last year in our Giving Books for Christmas post, but it is my family’s absolute favorite to read so I couldn’t pass up promoting it once again.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

Deck the Halls with Holly Angel with Ruth J. Morehead’s Holly Babes


I couldn’t resist buying this board book because of the adorable angels, reference to Holly (my favorite and only sister), and of course the song. I love music themed Christmas books and after our Caroling for Christmas advent post last year, I have kept my eye open for books like this. Basically it’s the whole song with angels illustrated doing all sorts of adorable angel things such as cutting out Christmas stars, putting up lights and of course, caroling. A great way to introduce a fun Christmas Carol to your toddler.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

Truce by Jim Murphy

Shh! Don’t tell! This book is a surprise for my WWI & II history buff husband and his three little protégés (my army-guy loving boys). Published October 2009, I knew it would be something he hasn’t seen before. During WWI, an amazing Christmas miracle occurred when both sides, often in direct defiance of orders, declared a truce in honor of Christmas. My favorite quote in the book?

“What would happen, I wonder, if the Armies suddenly and simultaneously went on strike and said some other method must be found of settling the dispute?” –Winston Churchill. Truly a thought, and book, worthy of ‘five golden rings’!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen and Illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson



I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this book. Elijah’s angel is based on a true story about an unlikely friendship between Michael (9) and Elijah the son of former slaves in his eighties. You would think the unlikely part of their friendship is the age difference, but that’s not all that separates these two friends – Michael is a Jewish boy and Elijah is a Christian. Elijah is a barber and carves wood figures and stories from the bible and Michael attends Hebrew School. I really enjoyed reading how these two friends were able to respect and share in each other’s faith traditions by giving each other a gift. Elijah gave an angel and Michael gave a menorah, which they both displayed in their respective homes. The illustrations add a lot to this book as they really remind me of wood carvings. I recommend this book for anyone looking for books that cross faith traditions in a wonderful way.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

The Berenstain Bear’s Christmas Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Papa Bear’s knack for making things as difficult as possible lends charm to this endearing, timeless Christmas tale about what really matters at Christmas time. Now, if I could just convince my husband to let the Bear’s House decorations rub off on him a little bit. Of course, he would be sure to point out that they live in a tree and we don’t, therefore the justification for their decorating outside. I guess when you grow up in California, you don’t use electricity for such superfluous things as outside house decorations. And Papa Bear would probably generously point out that Christmas isn’t about decorations, it’s a time to think about others. Point well taken.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

What is Christmas by Michelle Medlock Adams and Illustrated by Amy Wummer


A lovely little rhyming board book that explains in simple terms the reason for celebrating Christmas – the birth of Christ. It begins by asking questions such as “Is it about the Christmas tree, with all the twinkling lights?” or my favorite “Is it about the mistle-toe, where Mom and Daddy Kiss?”. Towards the end of the book it explains about the birth of Jesus and that while those other things around Christmas time are nice, the best thing about Christmas is Jesus Christ. So if you’re looking for a way to explain the meaning behind Christmas to young children I recommend this book.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

The Backyardigans Jingle Bell Christmas

This is a recent family acquisition that gets lots of love and attention from our young ones. Alternate lyrics to the most sung-by-children-carol, make this book a catchy, sing-songy read. All the characters are heading to a gift exchange and lift-the-flap windows allow you to peak inside the wrapping paper to see what they are giving. The flaps also offer peaks at many other ‘hidden’ Christmas things. Perfect for occupying those little fingers that can hardly wait to open presents.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas my True love Read to me . . .

The Night Before Christmas: A Soft to Touch Story

I truly was on the lookout for Christmas books with songs as part of the theme Caroling for Christmas and this adorable book uses the famous song “The Night Before Christmas.” This was one of the first Christmas songs I remember learning as a child and the song has a special place in my memory. It was this poem, later turned into a song that gives us the current round jolly version of Santa that I love so much. My daughters really liked this version as it is a Soft to Touch book meaning  there are soft pieces of fabric to touch on each page.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider, illustrated by Elizabeth J. Miles

I love the illustrations in this thought-provoking story about a tree called Small Pine who is trying to grow up to be the perfect Christmas tree. He doesn’t have the heart to turn away any of the mayn animals in need of shelter, food, etc.  Consequently, Small Pine almost gets chopped down and thrown away because of his uneven, scruffy branches that displease the Queen. Before it’s too late, though, the Queen notices the evidence all around Small Pine and decides he is the most worthy tree to represent Christmas in her kingdom.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my True Love Read to me . . .

O Holy Night Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem pictures by Faith Ringgold

My favorite part besides the illustrations is the accompanying CD of the Harlem’s Boys Choir. My family and I enjoyed listening to their music and each song is also looking at Faith Ringgold’s beautiful illustrations in the book. While listening to the CD and looking at the illustrations I thought that they reminded me a little bit of appliques you might see on a quilt. Come to find out Ms. Ringgold is known internationally for her painted story quilts. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that the pictures depicted the nativity story with Africans as opposed to European looking people. I really liked that and would recommend this book not only for the excellent music, but for it’s multi-cultural value as well.

Please take the time to visit the other people who are participating today – Cat @ Beyond Books, Amy @ My Friend Amy, Cheryl @ The Book Connection and Michelle @ Fluttering Butterflies.

What is Christmas? by Michelle Medlock Adams, Illustrated by Amy Wummer

Posted in Double Scoops, News | Tagged: | 5 Comments »

We’re Buying Books for the Holidays!

Posted by bookscoops on December 12, 2009

We are Buying Books for the Holidays because literacy is something we love and love to promote. Books also happen to be one of our favorite gifts to give and to get because there are so many great ones to choose from! As some of you are very aware, the publishing industry has felt the squeeze of our diminished economy. So, this year even more than last year, your support of books and the book industry as a whole is valuable. We have already filled our checked off Christmas lists with some great books, and asked for a few we really want for ourselves! We still need to make a few more purchases in that arena before we’re through and we hope that all of you are doing the same.

We have some great recommendations here at Bookscoops from books we’ve reviewed this last year that you can check out in our archives to take some of the guesswork out of buying books for those you love. Some of our favorites and most highly recommended books would be our Doublescoops. If you’re looking for some holiday themed books we have our Twelve Days of Christmas Reads from last year when we both reviewed 12 books each. Of course, we can’t cover everything, but we have great links to other reviewer websites, such as Pam at Mother Reader who has 105 Ways to Give a Book and we can’t forget the Buy Books for the Holidays challenge with some great lists and posts featuring independent book sellers for your holiday shopping. Hopefully, with all our help, you’ll be able to find just the right gifts for your loved ones.

Just in case you are an aspiring author, here is a great opportunity over at Writer Unboxed. If you buy books for the holidays you can enter a contest for a chance to win a review of a query letter or the first 5 pages of your manuscript. Generously donated by author Anna Elliott (Twilight of Avalon). Simply email the title of the book and who you bought it for to anna at annaelliottbooks dot com to enter.

If you have a recommendation for a holiday book or a post on your own blog about buying books for the holidays please put the title and or link in the comments.

Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop

Posted by caribookscoops on December 7, 2009

We are big fans of Nic Bishop in our house and here at Bookscoops as my sister and I reviewed Nic Bishop Spiders for our Double Scoop in March and I reviewed Nic Bishop Frogs, which is my favorite, the month before. I highly recommend both of those other books. I finally got a copy of Butterflies and Moth meaning we actually purchased this one. My daughter loved the photographs and learning about butterflies. Although I don’t necessarily agree with her about the picture (shown 45 times it’s actual size)  of the newly hatched caterpillar/larvae looking creature – she thought is was adorable. I should have guessed she would think that because after all I did tell her it was a baby caterpillar. To me it’s larvae and it gives me the creeps. That said though it is a lovely book with not only fascinated pictures, but fascinating text to keep the reader engaged.

Another favorite picture is of a caterpillar that resembles a snake. We spent several minutes on that page. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a high quality book about such beautiful creatures and butterflies and moths.

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday hosted by Rasco from RIF. Check out some of the other great titles.

Posted in Books for teaching Math and Science, Non-Fiction | Tagged: , | 7 Comments »

I’m Bad! by Kate & Jim McMullan

Posted by hollybookscoops on December 6, 2009

A buck-toothed T-Rex? Yes. A very cute, funny buck-toothed T-Rex that is trying to catch some dinner. This is an excerpt from my favorite page:

Are you Bad?

I’m Really bad.

Scare-the-tails off-

all-the-other-dinosaurs

BAD.

 Got Rip-’em up CLAWS.

 Got Bite-’em-up FANGS.

Bad Breath?

Yeaaaaahhhhhhh

My dinosaur loving boys all got a kick out of this one- especially the ending!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Road to Tater Hill by Edith M. Hemingway

Posted by hollybookscoops on December 5, 2009

My eyes were red all morning from reading this book. I started and had to finish in one day because I knew I couldn’t handle not knowing how this story that starts out so sad would end. Annie Winters is spending the summer with her mother at her Grandparents home while her Dad is overseas with the military. Her mother is pregnant and they have all been eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new baby. But baby Mary Kate comes too early, and everyone spends the summer grieving in their own personal ways.

Annie befriends a mysterious woman with a questionable past, but everyone is too wrapped up in grief to notice until . . . Well, I’ll let you read the story. This is a great stormy day sit by the fire and ball your eyes out read. I loved it and felt very connected to the characters. As Hemingways debut ’solo’ novel, I was very impressed. The characters are vividly depicted and the descriptions are first-hand as Tater Hill is a place that the author grew up visiting. Based on the dedication at the front of the book, “In memory of my baby sister Kate”, it seems this book is very real for a reason.

I think this book would be a great gift for Christmas- especially if you are wanting to pass on a little lesson on empathy, depression, understanding, and healing.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

Posted by hollybookscoops on December 3, 2009

folk keeper

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I found it rather interesting. The Folk Keepers protect villagers from the scary, creepy cave-folk. Corinna has disguised herself as a boy so that she can become a Folk Keeper, a position reserved for males. When Corinna is recruited as the new Folk Keeper for Mablehaugh Park, Corinna learns a lot about herself and her power to hurt or help others. I was intrigued by the last few chapters of the book, and wished for more detail, but found it a bit elusive where I wanted it and more prolific in areas I wasn’t expecting.

This one didn’t hit the top of my list and I almost stopped reading a few times- I’m not sure really why, boredom factor or if I just wasn’t getting the whole folk keeper thing at first. It isn’t really until the end of the book that you get a handle on what the ‘folk’ really are, but then I guess that was supposed to be part of the whole mystery/intrigue part. I hate to sound like this is a negative review, because it really isn’t, it’s just not my favorite book, although I feel that it’s a better way to pass the time than watching tv.

Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Fall Bookscoops Update

Posted by hollybookscoops on December 1, 2009

European Ambulance - Royalty Free Clipart Picture

As you may have noticed, things have been a little slow around Bookscoops lately. One of us (Cari) has been having ambulance rides and numerous hospital visits dealing with a child’s medical diagnosis of Epilepsy. Things are beginning to settle down (we hope) and we (mostly Cari) have learned a lot in the interim. Thank you very much for all your support!

The other one of us (Holly) has been making the final transition to a new home, which has taken longer than either Cari or Holly expected. Moving during soccer season with two boys on two different teams, and being pregnant at the same time just means it takes a little longer to get things done. Boy #4 is well on the way and we anticipate an early spring visit from the stork.

image 1488636853-0

At this time of year, when gratitude is paramount, we would like to say how grateful we are for wonderful books to read and for great readers and friends in the kidlitosphere. We’ve been having some great experiences and look forward to sharing them with you as we start to churn out more reviews and recommendations.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin, Illustrated by Rosana Faria, Translated by Elisa Amado

Posted by bookscoops on November 28, 2009

Holly: The Black Book of Colors is amazing. I just keep thinking about how amazing it is. Combining English and Braille, does that qualify as bi-lingual? I’m not sure of the right term to use.

Cari: I loved how the author attempted to describe colors without being able to see, I loved it! The words are delicious.

Holly: Hmmm, I would venture to say that yellow tastes like lemon, not mustard, but it could taste like mustard, or lemon or banana. Which I guess are all delicious in their proper setting.

Cari: I really liked that it made you think differently and appreciate maybe what the world is like for someone who can’t see. I thought the author did an excellent job, and I want it in Spanish since it was orginally written in Spanish.

Holly: Really? It was done in Spanish first?

Cari; Yep, some of the other reviews said that the braille isn’t what a blind person really would read, it needs to be more raised. But it makes you think how important tactile books are for children who are blind because that is how they see the world.

Holly: I had my kids read the book with their eyes closed. (Of course, mine were open, so I could read). They wanted to peek so they could see, their favorite was the rain pouring down – they thought that felt like rain.

Cari: We should clarify that all of the pictures are black, they are not in color, The text is grey.

Holly: The most controversial ‘picture’ for us was the one that was hair and my littlest one adamantly insisted  that doesn’t feel like mommy’s hair.

Cari: I loved that part, I thought it felt like hair.

Holly: I thought it felt like hair too, or at least how hair would ‘feel’ like illustrated on paper.

Cari: I wonder what things felt like for Great Grandma B when she went blind?

Holly: She must have been able to tell quite a bit by the limited colors she could see and what she could feel . . .

Cari: . . .because we each got a quilt made especially for us as her great grandchildren.

Holly: Yep. I still have mine. . . but I won’t rub that little fact in or anything.

Cari: Go right ahead. It’s not like we’ve never brought up this subject before.

And now . . . for a trip down memory lane:

One of our favorite shows to watch growing up was Little House on the Prairie. We loved it so much that we actually played Little House on frequent occasions. A monumental day was when Mary Ingalls was actually declared blind. That changed everything. How would we pretend to be Mary if she couldn’t see? Shortly after this episode, we were hanging out with some friends when we decided to play Little House. Cari got to be the fun-loving rambunctious Laura while Holly (enraptured with the beautiful Melissa Sue Anderson) was thrilled to play Mary.

Cari: You can be Mary, Holly, but it has to be Mary before she was blind, you can’t pretend you can’t see, we all know you can see.

Holly: Oh yeah? I can be blind like Mary, I’ll just keep my eyes closed!

Cari: I’ll make a bet with you. If you can keep your eyes closed the whole time, I’ll let you . . .

Holly: What?

Cari: Um, I’m not sure. I guess I’ll let you be in charge next time.

Holly: Okay! Hey guys, do you want to come over to our house? We could all put on pioneer dresses and play Little House on the Prairie

Cari: Yeah, let’s go. I’ll race you there on my bike.

Friend #1: How are we gonna get there if Holly has to have her eyes closed?

Friend #2: Yeah, you can’t ride a bike with your eyes closed!

Holly: You wanna bet? I betcha I can ride my bike all the way to my house without peaking. Not even once.

Cari: All right! The last one there’s the rotten egg!

Holly: That’s not fair! I didn’t say I’d get there fast! Wait for me!!!

Friend # 1: Woah, Cari, look! I think Holly really has her eyes closed.

Friend # 2: Are you really closing your eyes?

Holly: Don’t my eyes look closed? I promise I”m not peeking. (okay, so honesty didn’t always work in my favor when it came to bets with Cari) Keep talking so I can follow your voices.

Cari: Woah! I think she’s really doing it! She must have learned how to tell where she’s going from that one pillowcase game we play. I didn’t know she’d gotten so good.

Holly: See, I told you I could do it. Now, I get to be in charge! Laura, you’re the younger sister so you have to do what I say. Now, go take care of Carrie!

Cari: No, Mary. I’m too busy playing with my friends right now. We’re going to go fishing by the creek! Too bad you’re blind Mary, or maybe you could come with us. See you later!

Holly: Hey! Wait! I’ll be the Mary before she goes blind! I wanna go fishing too. Wait up!

Posted in Double Scoops, Picture Books | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Winter Lights by Anna Grossnickle Hines

Posted by hollybookscoops on November 26, 2009

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In anticipation of Christmas, I selected one of my favorite books. Since it’s so cool and there is more than just Christmas about it, I really wanted to share it. One of my most recent hobby acquisitions is quilting and I was amazed, to say the least, at the beautiful quilts that illustrate this book. My favorite one is a double-page spread of a young child looking out over hills of snow as the sun is setting. The companion poem echoes the feelings my children have when they get home from school only to have, if they’re lucky, an hour to play in the snow before the sun goes down. The poems and quilts weave together to bring warmth and comfort no matter how that wind is blowing outside!

 

This unique way of illustrating a book through pictorial quilts has me in awe of the amazing Hines. Equally impressive are the demonstration pages at the back of the book where she shares how she makes her quilts and brings her books to life.

 

 

I finally have my first quilt finished. It took me two long years to embroider and piece. It was machine quilted by Joyce Ross, an amazing free-hand quilting artist. My boys and I love to curl up with our snowman quilt and read stories together (after they wash their hands of course). We call it our snowman quilt and creating a tradition of reading with a special quilt has my boys excited to snuggle up and read some winter stories together. They know this quilt is special- they’ve seen me working on it forever!

Posted in Picture Books, Poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | 6 Comments »

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