Ages 9-12

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods
Written by Rick Riordan
Illustrated by John Rocco
(Disney-Hyperion, 2014; $24.99. Ages 9-12)

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When approached by a New York publisher to “tell all” about the gods, Percy Jackson asks:

“Can we do this anonymously? Because I don’t need the Olympians mad at me again (Percy Jackson, p.ix).”

Despite his understandable concerns (irking the gods can be dangerous to your health), Percy, in typical teen fashion, humorously narrates nineteen stories about the Greek gods, weaving in snarky comments and observations. Surprisingly, blending these dark and grim stories with irreverent humor makes the myths (a little) less horrific. Here’s Percy’s interpretation of an exchange between Kronos and Rhea concerning their children and …um…. Kronos’ food choices:

“He [Kronos] stuffed Hestia in his mouth and swallowed her whole.
Just like: GULP. She was gone.
As you can imagine Reha completely freaked.
“My baby!” she screamed …”
“Oh wow,” Kronos belched. “My bad …(p. 23).”

Percy’s title for each myth, not only reflects his wit and humor, but lets the reader know how Percy will interpret that myth. Demeter Turns Into Grainzilla puts a spin on a pop culture monster (Godzilla) when Demeter becomes a monster and daughter, Persephone, is abducted by Hades.

I’m ashamed to admit that I laughed while reading stories about kidnapping, infanticide, and cannibalism. Good gods! What kind of mother does that make me?

John Rocco, who has illustrated three of Rick Riordan’s series, is the 2012 Caldecott honor for Blackout. Rocco’s dramatic illustrations depict robust and muscular gods (recalling Classical Greek statuary), powerfully pulsing with light and energy. His strange and grotesque monsters should satisfy horror fans without overly frightening gentler souls. Visit Rocco’s website to learn more about the books he’s illustrated. Also check out his  blog which includes his artwork and sketches and links to painters who have influenced him (including Frank Frazetta and N.C. Wyeth).

At my school library, this middle grade book is already a big hit with Percy Jackson fans, as well as those who love Greek mythology. As both the 5th/6th grade classes are studying Greek mythology, one of the resources I used (in addition to this book) was the publisher’s excellent event kit. Activities include Percy’s Snarky Word Search, Get Your Greek On (trivia), party games, and more. Such a fun-and funny-way to learn about Greek mythology!

Click here to download the teachers’ guide.

– Reviewed by Dornel Cerro

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Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly is reviewed by the newest member of our team, Mary Malhotra.

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Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly, Disney Publishing Worldwide, 2014.

Deep Blue, (Disney Publishing Worldwide, $17.99, Ages 9-12), released May 6, 2014, is the first in a planned four-book fantasy series, The Waterfire Saga, about six gifted teen mermaids from different realms who come together to save the ocean from an ancient monster. The story takes readers on an adventure exploring diverse cultures under the sea (and inside mirrors, too — a shadow world that has always fascinated this reviewer!). The mermaids do magic by singing, a skill they call songcasting. In addition to enchanting Mer creatures, the book features ghosts, zombies, and other supernatural figures, and some explicit battle gore.

The world of Deep Blue, first envisaged by a creative team at Disney, is brought to life by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Donnelly. Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, a historical fiction YA set at the turn of the nineteenth century (winner of Britain’s Carnegie Medal and a Printz Honor), and Revolution, a story about a troubled present-day teen pulled into the world of a girl living in revolutionary France. Deep Blue will probably appeal most to a tween audience. Disney suggests the book for ages 9-12.

In the book’s prologue, water witches summon the six mermaids, warning that a four thousand-year-old monster capable of destroying entire civilizations has been awakened. As the story begins, we meet two Mer princesses, Serafina of Miromara and Neela of Matali. Sera and Neela are best friends, together for Sera’s betrothal to Neela’s brother Mahdi, the crown prince of Matali. Sera and Mahdi’s betrothal, intended to unite the two underwater kingdoms in peace, is interrupted by a brutal attack led by the cruel Captain Traho. Many at the party, including Sera’s parents, are injured or killed, but Sera and Neela escape.

The princesses soon discover they have both dreamt of the witches and the monster. Now they must find the four other mermaids described in the witches’ chant and join up to battle the monster. Captain Traho pursues Sera and Neela, so they have to use their wits and their growing special talents to stay a step ahead of him and figure out who or what is behind his evil ambitions. Destined to lead the other mermaids, Sera tightly holds on to the hope that her mother, the queen of Miromara, is still alive and will return to make everything all right. Will Sera grow to accept her role as leader? Can the six chosen mermaids gain the confidence and skill needed to battle the monster?

Deep Blue is a fun read, and a doorway to imagining a complex and magical world under the sea. Author Donnelly says Disney’s The Little Mermaid was a favorite at her house when her daughter was younger. Now her daughter is ten, an age Donnelly says is “fearless and full of wonder. Bemused by boys. Fierce about friendships. Standing at the borderlands of childhood, suitcases in hand.” Donnelly hopes her readers will find Sera and her fellow teen mages to be “worthy travel companions” as they embark on the soul-searching and increasing independence of their own teen years.

Click her to see →Deep Blue by Author Jennifer Donnelly – WaterFire Saga on Disney Video

For more on Waterfire Saga: waterfiresaga.com
Find Jennifer Donnelly on line: jenniferdonnelly.com
Or on Twitter: twitter.com/jenwritesbooks
Or visit her on Facebook: JenWritesBooks

MCM Profile PicAbout Reviewer Mary Malhotra – After your typical career as a database designer/schoolteacher/small-business CFO, Mary Malhotra is focusing on the next obvious thing, short story and novel writing for the YA market. A member of SCBWI, she has participated in writing workshops at UCLA Extension and the Writer’s Center (Bethesda, MD). Her YA novel COMMON HOURS is on its first full revision (and fourth working title). She lives in La Canada, California with her husband and lots of pictures of her grown kids. Find her on Twitter @MCMalhotra or at www.Facebook.com/MCMalhotra.

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Best Kids Books for Black History Month

We’ve selected some of the best books for kids to read
not just for Black History Month, but anytime.

Under The Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke with illustrations by London Ladd – (Charlesbridge, $16.95, Ages 6-9)

93879The Cart That Carried Martin by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Don Tate – (Charlesbridge, $16.95, eBook $9.99, Ages 6-9)

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis – (A Yearling paperback, $7.99, Ages 9-12)

9780553494105Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis – (A Yearling paperback, $7.99, Ages 9-12)

The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman – (Candlewick Press, $6.99, Ages 10 and up)

Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger with illustrations by Robert Byrd – (Candlewick Press, $17.99, Ages 10 and up)

9781419708466_s3.jpgSearching For Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America by Tonya Bolden – (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $21.95, Ages 10-14)

The Girl from the Tar Paper School by Teri Kanefield – (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $19.95, Ages 10-14)

Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration by Shelley Tougas  – ($8.95, Compass Point Books, ages 10 and up)

 

 

 

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Zebra Forest

 

15798672I am guilty of judging a book by its cover. Having read nothing about it, I picked out Zebra Forest (Candlewick, $15.99, ages 9-12) by Adina Rishe Gewirtz because I thought it was a middle grade novel about WWII with the forest alluding to children escaping from Nazis and hiding out in the woods. I could not have been more wrong and more pleasantly surprised.

When I discovered the book was about a brother and sister living with their depressed grandmother as the Iran hostage crisis of Jimmy Carter’s presidency played out, I had to read on having followed it closely back in ’79. Plus the characters of Annie and Rew were so compelling and real, that I had to learn their story.

Zebra Forest is so much more than a sibling story. It’s a clever, well-crafted novel that captures the voices of the children, their roller coaster emotions along with the ambiguousness of their past and present, and hence their identities.

 

Annie had three real wishes that summer when Zebra Forest begins.

1. Get tall.
2. Have an adventure.
3. Meet my father.

Only she could never meet her father because he was dead, killed in a fight with an angry man who was then sent away. And her mom, claiming it was the dad who’d wanted her to have kids, had deserted the family, leaving her two little ones with their paternal grandmother. What a legacy for two children to carry around. Couple that with a grandmother who had more bad days than good ones, mostly leaving the children to fend for themselves and you have the makings of an engaging, dramatic story. Infused with just the right amount of suspense, humor and pathos, Zebra Forest is a different sort of page turner.  There are lies to unravel and family secrets to uncover. When a nearby prison break occurs and an escapee barges into the children’s home and holds them hostage, relationships will be tested and truths will be told.

The metaphor of the Zebra Forest being a place of camouflage mimics the lives of Annie and Rew who have been trying to sort out what is real and what is fiction in their own lives. Living without TV and limited contact with the outside world, brother and sister have created their own imaginary worlds where the identities of people are also not what they seem. Here, Gewirtz’s intertwining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island throughout the novel is brilliant and apt. Rew and Annie have taken the limited resources available at home and filled their daily lives with adventure and play acting, but when the intruder’s presence creates tension between Annie, Rew and Gran, what can be done to keep this family together?

I recommend this bittersweet tale because it’s a great conversation starter if parents take the time to read it, too.  As middle graders are moving more towards asserting their individualism, Zebra Forest will prove a perfect companion for this complicated time of life.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

 

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Epic Antics Mockumentary-Style

Yesterday I attended what has become an annual and much looked forward to event, the Mother/Daughter Book Party at Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse in La Canada.

Seven super talented female authors attended and lots more moms and daughters.  I had a chance to sit down at each author’s table and learn more about the books they had written and I am delighted to be able to share that information with you.  If you’ve got a 3rd – 6th grader who loves to read, here are some great books to choose from. Today I’ll cover  San Luis Obispo author Robin Mellom’s middle grade novel.

tmb_240x240_bks_the_classroom_1423150635Mellom has penned a clever mockumentary in book form called The Classroom: The Epic Documentary of a Not-Yet-Epic Kid ($12.99,  DisneyHyperion, ages 9 and up), and it’s not just for girls. The title alone conjures humorous images but the illustrations by Stephen Gilpin really add the “you are there” quality that will bring a smile to every reader’s face. Mellom described the artwork as having a “Far Side” comic strip feeling, which it does, and which works perfectly considering the storyline.

Trevor is starting 7th grade and on his very first day he learns from his best friend Libby that he must find a date by day’s end for the dance that is just around the corner. If he doesn’t ask someone to the dance, all the girls he could invite would already have been asked spelling disaster for Trevor. Plus on top of all this, a film crew has come to the school and his every move will be captured up close and personal! This was not the 7th grade life he imagined and could it get any worse?

Kids will get a kick out of the way the book includes one funny antic after another. Also featured are “documentary-style” items found by the film makers to help paint a picture of Trevor such as drawings from Trevor’s notebook and an old yearbook picture. In a nutshell, if Trevor can just get through 7th grade until the big dance, things could turn out okay, even epic.

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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Rooting for the Underdogs

Start Cheering Now Sports Fans!

Boys and girls alike will enjoy page after page of New York Times bestselling author Len Berman’s The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs ($19.99, Sourcebooks, ages 9-12), and maybe even identify with a few of the figures covered in this new book and audio CD. Berman begins by reflecting back on perhaps history’s oldest “Cinderella Story,” David vs. Goliath. Certainly nothing plays out better than when the unexpected happens. This kind of excitement is captured for kids by Berman’s retelling of well known and lesser known success stories. Readers will find themselves, as I did, rooting for athletes that they previously never even heard of including Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner.

At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Russian Bear Alexander Karelin was the Gold Medal favorite having never lost a major wrestling competition. Hailing from Wyoming, Rulon Gardner was the classic underdog. However, despite odds against him, Rulon remained determined as he faced the final with Karelin that he was going to get gold for the USA. If that meant breaking the Bear’s winning streak, so be it. Early on in the competition Rulon scored an unexpected point against the Bear, but then neither athlete scored the required three points to win so the game went into overtime. Within seconds to the match’s end, Karelin could not keep up with his competitor and conceded. From that day on Rulon became known as The Miracle on the Mat. Listen to that miraculous moment on the CD track.

There are so many other amazing stories recounted such as the Miracle on Ice when the longshots, U.S. Olympic hockey team, (which according to rules in 1980 could not consist of NHL players since they were professionals. Those rules have since changed.) came out of nowhere, made it to the finals and then beat the powerhouse Soviets 4-3  in what Berman describes as “one of the most famous play-by-plays calls ever made, as befits one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.”

It’s dark horse stories like these that make The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs such an engrossing, gratifying read. I know it’s what kept me glued to my  TV during the London Olympics this summer and what will get me watching the World Series beginning October 24, 2012.  Gear up now by getting this book!

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Middle Grade Mystery Liar & Spy Should Top Reading Lists

Author Kristen Kittscher reviews a middle grade novel for thinking kids.

If Rebecca Stead found it difficult to follow up her 2010 Newbery award winner, WHEN YOU REACH ME, you’d never know it. Her latest book, LIAR & SPY ($15.99, Random House Children’s Books, ages 9-12), is a stunningly well-crafted, moving story of friendship, trust, and nonconformity that’s sure to soar to the top of 2012 award lists, as well.

In the same spare, lyrical style that packed an emotional punch in When You Reach Me, Stead tells the story of Georges, a seventh grade boy adjusting to difficult new realities at home and school. His best friend has abandoned him for a cool crowd, bullies are targeting him, and he’s just moved out of the only home he’s ever known after his father lost his job. Georges finds some distraction from his troubles when he strikes up a friendship with his new neighbor and fellow twelve-year-old, Safer. An eccentric, coffee-drinking self-proclaimed “spy,” Safer enlists Georges’ help in hunting down the truth about their mysterious neighbor Mr. X, whom Safer suspects is a serial killer. While Georges does indeed get to the bottom of the mystery, in the process he discovers hard truths about himself and friendship.

LIAR & SPY is not for kids seeking an action-packed ride. It’s a gripping, poignant, and often funny book for kids who like to think. Its mystery slowly builds to a surprising climax and twist, but Stead focuses on delivering an emotionally satisfying resolution rather than a purely plot-based one. Her gift for exploring life’s larger questions in a way that’s accessible to kids without condescending to them makes this book an especially good pick for the classroom or a book club, as it’d undoubtedly spark great discussion about friendship, trust, lies, bullying and difference. WHEN YOU REACH ME fans need not worry about being disappointed by this magnificent follow up! 

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

Today’s review is by author Kristen Kittscher. Please see below to read about her upcoming middle grade novel.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fans can rejoice! Cosmic and Millions author Frank Cottrell Boyce teamed up with illustrator Joe Berger to deliver the very fun and charming sequel,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again ($15.99, Candlewick, ages 9 – 12). Though there are lots of nods to Ian Fleming’s classic (and only children’s book), kids unfamiliar with Chitty will happily climb aboard for this adventure-fueled, silly romp, too.

 Mr. Tooting has lost his job — and the company car that went along with it. When he channels his underused engineering talents into a old camper van and a racing engine the family stumbles across, they’re all in in store for some crazy adventures! The engine, of course, is the same one that powered the famous flying car… only the Tootings discover it the hard way. No matter how much they try to control the car, Chitty forges ahead on her own mission to find all her lost pieces. Worse yet, a dastardly villain is also on their tail! Will the family make it through their escapades unscathed?

With quick pacing and funny dialogue, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is an especially good pick for reluctant readers or for a classroom read-aloud. It’s billed for readers 9 and up, but there’s no reason younger readers wouldn’t also enjoy the book, even if some of the wry humor goes over their heads. The many colorful characters and the Tooting family’s optimism in the face of adversity made them especially delightful to spend time with. Though I preferred Boyce’s outstanding Cosmic  and Millions more, Sir Ian Fleming’s heirs were wise to turn to Boyce for this wonderful sequel. Chitty is certainly one wild (and fun) ride!

Visit the Candlewick website by clicking here for an activity kit, teacher’s guide and lots more!  
 

 

Photo: ©Konrad Tho Fiedler

Kristen Kittscher grew up in many places, including San Francisco, Dallas, and London but she feels most at home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, Kai, and their hopelessly spoiled cat and dog. A graduate of Brown University and former English teacher, she now writes funny mysteries for the precocious middle-schoolers she once enjoyed teaching so much. Her debut novel, THE WIG IN THE WINDOW, comes out in 2013 with Harper Children’s. She’s now at work on its sequel, THE TIARA ON THE TERRACE.

THE WIG IN THE WINDOW (Harper Children’s, 2013)
 
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