Thank you for visiting our book blog. Sit back and make yourself comfortable and while you’re at it join in the discussion by leaving a comment or two.
Happy Reading!
Cari & Holly
Posted by hollybookscoops on January 19, 2011
This book is funny the same way that Napolean Dynamite is funny. All the jokes are dead-pan come-again type. The kind that kids love. We read this book over and over and over. A fun companion to those cowboy boots your little one is asking for and a little leg up on telling jokes, although the authors don’t seem to ever have gone much past the 4-5 year old joke stage.
Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Picture Books, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by hollybookscoops on January 10, 2011
I recently enjoyed this poignant coming of age story about Lucia who grows up during the 1961 Communist Revolution in Cuba. Lucia’s innocent naivete is shredded bit by bit when soldiers come to her small town. Lucia and Frankie believe their parents are being unreasonable in their demands that their two children stay home where they can be safe from the insanity that seems to have overtaken their beloved country.
Lucia’s best friend Ivette and her family fall hook line and sinker for the propoganda of the new Cuba, and Lucia struggles to find a balance between pleasing her parents and being a normal teenager who wants to hang with her friends and meet boys. Ultimately, Lucia and Frankie’s parents take drastic steps to save their children from the brainwashing that the government is performing on all young minds.
Readers will enjoy learning about this volatile time in Cuba’s history. I was very intrigued by the chapter headlines- each one is taken from a newspaper headline during that time period, adding significance and detail to Gonzalez’s first novel. I am impressed and look forward to what Ms. Gonzalez brings us next!
Posted in Books for Girls, Books for teaching history, Juvenile Fiction | Leave a Comment »
Posted by hollybookscoops on October 19, 2010
I wasn’t sure what to expect in this story about where dreams come from. I liked what I found. A quick, easy read but with two stories intertwined. One about the dream makers who gather bits and pieces of memories from the objects in our home and then bestow them upon us to give us the dreams we have. Littlest one is one of the dream makers in training and her touch is like gossamer. She defies rules and exceeds expectations to bestow dreams that offer hope and peace in the face of the Horde (the bestowers of nightmares).
A quick note of awareness for parents and teachers: the boy in the story is in foster care and is dealing with the affects of an alcoholic, physically abusive father, and co-dependant mother, which will definitely offer great points of discussion for those who read the story. I personally think Gossamer would give my fourth grader nightmares, but that it would be a great discussion book for junior high age kids. So, although some age recommendations go as low as 4th grade, I would rate it higher for content, and if you want to read it before your kids, it’s definitely captivating for adults as well.
Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction | Leave a Comment »
Posted by hollybookscoops on August 18, 2010
Otto Grows Down has wiggled its way right in to my heart. I have been loving on this book ever since I opened the front cover. I can’t keep it to myself any longer (big sigh) I think I will have to buy my own copy because this one has always been destined for a giveaway. Yeah for everyone else (see below for details on how to enter)! Children will love this humorous tale and beg for more. I can hardly wait to see what Sussman writes next!
How did Otto wiggle his way right into my heart? Well, first off, the mesmerizing illustrations remind me in a way of some of David Shannon’s work! (and I love David Shannon). Also, Otto Grows Down is a captivating tale of the consequences of our innermost selfish wishes. Otto’s childish innocence speaks right to that part inside me (and probably you too) that sometimes threatens to get in the way of peaceful family relationships. As many of you know, we at Bookscoops have added two (in Jen Robinson’s words) little ‘bookworms’ to our family this year. Which puts me in the perfect position to love Otto, having observed some of his characteristics in my very own children recently. I am happy to highly recommend Otto Grows Down as a great book to help with the new baby blues transition for older siblings. My four year old now emphatically says, “I do NOT want to take our baby back to the hospital!”
So, enough with the commentary, you want details, right?
Otto is a sweet little boy who has a new baby sister and on his 6th birthday, when he blows out the candles, he wishes that his sister had never been born. When he opens his eyes, his wish begins to come true, with unexpected consequences. Time begins to go backwards and Otto relives his life in reverse as he takes his baby sister back to the hospital, spits out his food at the dinner table, and slides up and climbs down all the playground equipment at school. Day after day, year after year, until Otto almost isn’t Otto anymore.
Hands down, my favorite line, and illustration?
“And going to the bathroom was downright disgusting.”
We laughed and laughed over this one at our house. Then we shared this book with everyone who visited and laughed and laughed some more. Otto Grows down will appeal to kids and adults of all ages. If you would like a chance to win this book, please enter the giveaway below. If you would like a chance to buy this book, it is available pretty much everywhere now, and is the perfect gift for a new older sibling. If I could go back in time, I would have given it to my older sister when I was born. No offense Cari, but maybe it would have saved me a special haircut or two.
Bookscoops is giving away one hardback copy of Otto Grows Down, courtesy of Joanna Stampfel-Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation, to one lucky winner. You may enter the giveaway by linking to this post, commenting on this post, sharing a tip of how to help kids adjust to new siblings, or a funny anecdote about new baby growing pains. Comments will close for the giveaway at midnight MST on August 26, 2010. I will be happy to ship the book to any winner within the continental United States. Thanks and happy commenting!
Check out Michael Sussman’s website and Scott Magoon’s for more information on their fantastic contributions to children’s literature.
Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Giveaways, Picture Books | 14 Comments »
Posted by hollybookscoops on August 13, 2010
This was a fun, easy and educational read about a sweet family that lives above the doll-repair shop that they own. As immigrants, the family has adapted china repair skills they learned in their native country to fixing china dolls in America. The 3 Jewish sisters, enjoy playing with the ‘unfixable’ abandoned dolls who have not been claimed by their owners. When WWI begins, things become tense and difficult as doll parts are no longer available from Germany. Anna, the middle daughter decides she must find a way to help her family, and proposes the idea to make their own dolls. Nurse Nora, ’born’ after some trial and error is a big success and allows the Breittlemanns to survive the difficult economic times.
I really liked that this book is loosely based on the advent of Madame Alexander dolls, which I loved to play with and look at as a child. Any lover or former lover of dolls will find this story a fun addition to the fascinating world of dolls.
Posted in Books for Girls, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by hollybookscoops on May 24, 2010
I saw this book on display at the library and it spoke to me. “Take me home, your kids will love me!” I paused for a moment and thought to myself, “Do I really need this book?” I recalled a dinner conversation (or should I say argument?) that we had once while my husband was out of town. It was all about farts and whether or not cows or horses do it (yes, they do) and whether or not lots of other animals do. We finally had to resort to good old internet sources (wikipedia, anyone?) to solve the argument because my two oldest boys were sure that they were each right and that I didn’t know what I was talking about. So, as they finished their dinner, I looked up farting on the internet. To make a long story short, we learned a lot about digestion that night.
Bubbles are very useful! In the animal kingdom they are used for fishing, keeping warm, breathing, sailing, running. . . it’s amazing how many different uses bubbles have. For Herring, FaRTs (Fast Repetitive Ticks) are just another way of communicating.
I enjoyed all the useful information in this book. Bubble Homes and Fish Farts would make a very fun classroom tool. Each page spread is focused on one animal and its use of bubbles so it could easily be read a page or two at a time over the length of a fun science unit. Fiona definitely knows how to write about one of her loves which is “way cool science”. You can find more out about her at www.fionabayrock.com and you can learn more about the great illustrations by Carolyn Conahan at www.carolyndigbyconahan.com.
www.fionabayrock.com
Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Books for teaching Math and Science, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Posted by hollybookscoops on May 3, 2010
Little Pip is an adorable penguin who yearns to fly. Children may well recognize themselves in her stubborn refusal to try swimming. A fun lyrical adventure about trying something new for the first time. Filled with beautiful illustrations that bring summer and swimming lessons to mind. You need to check this book out if you are planning swimming lessons for a reluctant swimmer.
My son really enjoyed the lyrical poems that Little Pip’s mentors coached her with, which made this such a great read-aloud. We had a nice little discussion afterwards about how sometimes we are afraid to try new things. Just like Pip was afraid to try swimming. Although Pip wasn’t afraid to try flying, but I think that was because flying was something more familiar to her- she’d seen birds flying around before, but it’s hard to see what goes on in the deep dark depths of the ocean unless you actually go down there. My little guy was sure Pip was afraid of octopuses and whales and sharks and that’s why she didn’t want to swim. That actually makes sense. Kids sure are smart!
How do you help your kids try new things?
Posted in Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Children's Literature, Picture Books, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Posted by hollybookscoops on March 4, 2010
Where the Wild Things Are has long been one of my favorite children’s books. My family and I own copies in both Spanish and English (although I must admit, I prefer the original English version). In fact, I love this book so much, that a few years ago, my friends and I entered a sidewalk chalk art contest and re-created one of our favorite scenes. We had a great time hearing all the comments as people walked by. . . Almost without fail recognizing and reminiscing about reading this book at school, at home, or at the library. Kids were universally excited to relate to a famous piece of art and literature outside of a typical literary setting.
Holly (in the purple shirt) and friends with Max
Needless to say, I was super excited when I heard about the movie, which was shown in theatres during the fall of 2009, and is now being released on DVD. I had heard great reviews, and convinced my sweetie that we should go on a date to watch the movie so I could include it in my review of the book. As you can tell, I obviously didn’t post a review right away. Part of that was due to moving at the same time, and part of that was due to the fact that I really didn’t like the movie.
We’ve had this discussion before in the kidlit world with Chronicles of Narnia. I continue to hold to my opinion that it is very difficult to produce a movie of a book that truly satisfies the literature loving world. So, my reasons for not liking the movie? Well, let’s start with what I did like: the costumes/animation and the creation of the Wild Thing’s world were all phenomenal. The ‘Wild Things’ were true to form and very accurately portrayed physically. What really caused me discomfort was the level of dysfunction and anger in Max and his family. Maybe I’ve lived too sheltered of a life, but the book, in my opinion, wasn’t about a dysfunctional, hurting boy. The book was meant for a much larger audience- one that understands that little boys are sometimes wild and do crazy things that get them sent to time out. And, having spent a fair number of hours in time out as a child, I also know that time out is often a place where your imagination takes over to entertain you. Even for minor infractions of the ‘law’, timeout can inspire wild imaginings of running away to a place where everyone thinks you are wonderful and you can do no wrong.
Apparently, when Maurice Sendak first published this book, he was criticized for creating too dark of a children’s book. Some people think that the movie will eventually enjoy the same degree of fame and appreciation. I disagree. I do, however, believe that English teachers will use it in the classroom and come up with assignments to get kids thinking about what deep things Max is really struggling with. I hope that kids will learn to love and appreciate the book long before they ever see the movie, because I think the movie will be likely to change their perception of the book. I also don’t recommend the movie for young children- the target audience of the book. It’s simply inappropriate for young children, but of course, that is also a matter of opinion.
What do you think?
Posted in Award Winning Books, Books for Boys, Books for Girls, Caldecott Awards, Children's Literature, Picture Books, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Posted by hollybookscoops on January 25, 2010
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, Uncategorized, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction | 7 Comments »
Posted by hollybookscoops on December 3, 2009
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: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction | Leave a Comment »
