YA Review - Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Every avid reader has a stable of sure-thing authors. You know what I mean -- the writers who consistently deliver the right balance of absorbing plot, engaging characters and intriguing themes. For me Joan Bauer is right at the top of that sure-thing list, and has been ever since I first cracked Rules of the Road. That novel, about Jenna, a teenage shoe salesperson who ends up driving her cantankerous elderly boss across country, has pretty much everything you'd look for in a great story, including seemingly insurmountable conflict and crackling good dialogue.

Bauer's latest novel doesn't disappoint, and it has cupcakes. What's not to love? In Close to Famous, Foster McGee has a plate full of troubles, starting with her mama's nasty Elvis-impersonator ex-boyfriend. When Foster and her mom run away from Huck, there's nowhere for them to go, and soon they wash up in the tiny town of Culpepper. Before long Foster's met all the local characters, including Macon, an amateur filmmaker, and the faded Hollywood star Miss Charleena. But all Foster wants is to hit it big with her own show on Food Network -- and even though her muffins are the kind people would line up for, how's she ever going to be discovered in this backwater burg?

Joan Bauer creates characters that are believable, the kind of strong, determined girls who may have the deck stacked against them but don't ever give up on the ones they love. In Foster's case, she's also dealing with learning disabilities and missing her daddy, whose Army helicopter was shot down. (She's multiracial too, but Bauer doesn't use this as a conflict, just as a fact of Foster's life. It's always great to find solid novels featuring people of color that don't turn exclusively around the race of their protagonist.) Foster knows that her baking is the best hope for a future, but also that it's a very long shot. And yet she presses on, one chocolate chip muffin at a time, determined she'll have a better life. Foster is the kind of girl that readers can root for, one who faces trouble at every turn but doesn't quit trying.

But this is far from a one-note novel. In Culpepper, Bauer has created a location that mirrors Foster's own life, the kind of place that everyone counts out but that has plenty to offer. True, the plot turns around Foster, but the secondary characters are pretty unforgettable too. Slowly Foster wins over even the most oppositional individuals with her fantastic cooking, the scent of which fairly wafts off the pages -- butterscotch muffins, pineapple upside-down cupcakes, brown sugar brownies. Don't read this one on an empty stomach or you will absolutely be sorry.

The recent furor raised by an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal paints all YA fiction as impossibly dark and grim. Foster's story is anything but. Personally I don't know how the author could overlook authors like Joan Bauer (and Ally Carter, and Sarah Dessen, and Maureen Johnson, and and and). In Close to Famous, Bauer gives us a protagonist who struggles against insurmountable odds but manages to keep her sense of humor and determination intact. This is one a diverse audience can relate to, the kinds of issues that Foster grapples with being those that many kids might see in themselves. It's a quick read and some may find it wraps up a little too neatly. Still, there's a lot to like in this solidly written novel, and it's sure to bring Bauer even more devoted followers.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer, published by Viking
Ages 11-14
Source: Library
Sample quote: "I walk to the bathroom, hearing the slap slap of my flowered flip-flops on the floor. Sonny Kroll, my favorite Food Network cook, who can make a meal out of anything that's lying around, always says 'Go with what you've got.' Well, I have Mama and she has me. I hope Huck has four flat tires and is left in a ditch."
Recommended

Link Love -- Boys and Books, Neil Gaiman, and Tigger, No Less!

Took the week off from links last week, not because I planned to but because life just got away from me. Back on schedule this week though, and lots of linky goodness to share!

~ First up, a link from the New York times on boys and reading. Much is made of the need for books that appeal to boys, and whether that is the issue or if there are other factors at work. I tend to think there are lots of factors at work, not least is the need for kids to see adults modeling the behavior. BTW, if you're looking for great reads for boys, there are many options out there -- check out blogs like Guys Lit Wire, Boys Rock Boys Read, and Guys Read, for a start. (Thanks to Aubri K. for the NYT link.)

~ While we're on the topic of authors guys want to read, the Guardian has this interview with Neil Gaiman from the Edinburgh Book Festival. Enough said.

~ A little late, but still, here's a link to Publisher's Weekly's Fall 2011 Children's Books Preview. Make your wish lists now, folks! So much good stuff in one really long link. I might just have to buy this issue, for ease of having the whole list in one place. Oh, and I love that the cover art for that issue is by the illustrator of one of Sprout's current most requested bedtime reads. (Which I am, I fear, slowly in the process of memorizing. But whatever.)

~ Classes start up for me again in two weeks (though papers have already been assigned -- how unfair is that?). If your summer went waaaaay too fast too, how about a rundown of chapter books and picture books from MotherReader? Add a few of these to your library queue and extend the summer love well into the fall. We will be.

~  One of the bad things about balancing work, school and family is that it all cuts into my precious reading time. But I still work hard to fit in some pleasure reading, and Apothecary by Maile Meloy, due out in October, is one I'll make time for. Check out the Publisher's Weekly interview with Meloy. If that's not enough to peak your interest, the book trailer is sure to do the trick.

~ Now that I've whetted your appetite for interviews, how about this conversation with illustrator Jon Klassen from the blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. If Klassen's work looks familiar, you might have seen it in the Incorrigibles books by MaryRose Wood (which, if you haven't read, just get them. Now. You'll thank me later). Sprout and I recently brought home Cats Night Out by Caroline Stutson, which Klassen illustrated. The story itself went completely over Sprout's head, but we both loved the pictures. So there.

~ That last is just another case of a phenomenon that is simply unavoidable: kids and adults view the same material in different ways. Unfortunately it's not always possible for us, as literary professionals and as parents, to understand how and why that difference occurs. Sometimes when I read and rave about something, I wonder: is this a book that kids would actually read and love, or is this the kind of kidlit that is more appreciated by adults than the target audience? Along those lines, Fuse #8 was in a speculative mood this week. What's your opinion?

~ Literary dirty secrets: everyone has one. It's the book (or series) that everyone else in the known universe has read but you. For me, until recently, it was The Hunger Games, but I can now hold my head up high and say that I've read at least the first book, and loved it. At this link, one author comes clean on her hold-out. Fair warning, it's a doozy!

~ And finally, Flavorwire has a recurring feature in which they speculate on various literary characters' playlists. This time around is Tigger, and -- no surprise here -- it's all about fun!

More next week -- and as always, if you have a link to share, pass it on to me at sproutsbookshelf *at*gmail*dot*com.

Picture Book Review - A New Barker in the House by Tomie dePaola

Beloved author and illustrator Tomie dePaola weaves adoption into the storyline of A New Barker in the House, part of his series about the Barker family. Mama, Papa, Morgan and Moffat are excited to be adding a new member to their family: three-year-old Marcos. The twins cannot wait to show their new brother all their favorite toys, and especially want to take him to show-and-tell at their school. They begin to think about all the fun they will have together.

But when Marcos comes home with Papa, he speaks Spanish, which Morgie and Moffie can't understand. And the only English word Marcos knows is "potty", but he uses that one a lot! Marcos doesn't like the things the twins like, and he doesn't want to play ball or dolls either. Mama gently explains that Marcos may not want to eat the same food, or play the same games, and encourages the twins to ask Marcos what he wants to do. Before long Marcos and the twins are playing together on the playground, and everyone is learning how to speak one another's language.

As always, dePaola's illustrations are bright and expressive, homey depictions of the contented Barker family at home together. The layout makes use of panels to represent the various characters' points of view, especially effective when demonstrating how the twins each want to share their own favorite things with Marcos. The discussion of adoption is brief and straightforward; dePaola assumes that the audience understands what adoption's about, and doesn't get bogged down in lengthy explanations. Rather, this title focuses on the transition of a new child into a family, and the way siblings must learn to accommodate and appreciate their brother or sister's preferences. If the storyline resolves quickly, that is to be expected for the intended age group. The big benefit is that dePaola opens up plenty of opportunities for further discussion and examination.

Bottom line: Overall, a good title to introduce the topic of adoption to a family, and get siblings thinking and talking about what the new family member may want or need. Sensitive, gentle and thoughtful, A New Barker in the House is another well-rounded title from a favorite author!

A New Barker in the House by Tomie dePaola, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Ages 2-6
Source: Library
Sample quote: "The next morning at breakfast, Morgie gave Marcos a big spoonful of Morgie's favorite cereal - Dino Pops. Marcos didn't like it! Moffie gave Marcos a big spoonful of her favorite cereal - Alphabet Bits. Marcos didn't like it. Marcos SPIT it all out! 'Mama!' the twins yelled."
Recommended

Audio Review - Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

One of the reasons audiobooks are popular, it seems to me, is that we all really enjoy having someone read to us. I don't know what it is, exactly. Maybe the heritage of storytelling in days gone by simply sunk into our collective DNA, so that we respond to a tale read aloud in a different way. Or maybe it's just the luxury of sinking completely into a story as it unfolds around us.

Such was the case for me with the new book Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner. This is a fantasy in the truest sense of the word, as Tanner gives us an alternate-reality tale taking place in a world somewhat like our own and yet vastly different. In the city of Jewel, children are kept under adult protection at all times, linked either to their parents or to the Blessed Guardians by a silver guardchain until the age of Separation. For Goldie Roth, this is altogether normal, though restrictive, and she lives for her own Separation. But then Separation Day is canceled, and Goldie impulsively runs away from her Guardian. She washes up at the Museum of Dunt, a bizarre building that seems to have a personality -- and secret life -- of its own. Here Goldie meets a most  unusual cast of characters. Gradually Goldie realizes that her own fate is drawing her to the Museum, for she is one of only a few who can interpret the mysteries that lie within its walls, and stand in the way of forces that might destroy her world.

This story worked for me on many levels -- the unique slant on the child-destined-to-save-the-world formula, the truly original voices of the characters, the wry humor that pervades Tanner's vision of a world devoid of any potential dangers (at least on the surface). But as an audiobook, what made it truly spectacular was the narrator, Claudia Black. Black does a full complement of voices and she is compelling at each of them, from the imperiousness of Guardian Hope to the reasoned wisdom of Herro Dan to the fearfulness of Goldie's parents. She sustains the drama of Tanner's plotline while never giving away a hint of the secrets yet to be unveiled. Black has plenty to work with here -- a tightly plotted story peopled with memorable characters and delicious mysteries -- and she puts her considerable vocal talents to good use. It was a true pleasure to listen to Museum of Thieves, and I'm eagerly awaiting City of Lies, the next book in the series, due out in September.

Bottom line: great audiobooks are a marriage of excellent writing paired with enthusiastic narration. Museum of Thieves has both, in spades. And how can you not love a writer who names a character Toadspit?!

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner, published by Delacorte Press (audio by Listening Library)
Ages 8-12
Source: Library
Sample quote: "She knew that she mustn't linger in this strange place. She took one last look around the office, and her eyes fell on the coins. There were so many of them, and they were in such untidy heaps that she was sure the owner wouldn't miss a few. And they would make her trip to Spoke so much easier. I'm already a thief. I might as well steal something else."
Recommended

Library Find - With You Always, Little Monday by Geneviève Côté

Sometimes a mama gets her fill of trains and trucks, and just wants a quiet, sweet bedtime choice. That's probably what led me to pick up With You Always, Little Monday by Geneviève Côté, during a recent trip to the library. I'm a sucker for artists like Côté, whose sketchy, smudgy bunny named Monday is adorable in a way that won't make your teeth ache. I wasn't familiar with Côté’s work before this, but low and behold, there lurking in my Google Reader queue was this interview from the outstanding blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. How’s that for serendipity?

Anyway, if the cover art made me pick it up, the quote on the back clinched it for me. “Sometimes, in a quiet moment, Little Monday wonders who his mommy might be.” The storyline is basically that – Little Monday doesn’t know who his mommy is, so he asks everyone in the forest. Each friend has something uniquely wonderful about them, but no one fits the description. Finally Little Monday goes to sleep, exhausted and wondering if he’ll ever find his mommy. But then he wakes up to discover his mommy has found him – she is the rabbit in the moon. And though Little Monday’s mommy can’t be with him physically, she is watching over him from above, and she is always there in spirit.

Whoa.

As adoptive parents, we know all too well the pain of loss in our children's lives. We all face the moment when we will tell our children about their birth families. For little ones, the details may be overshadowed by the loss, the sense of longing that their birth mothers or fathers or siblings are not within reach. Open adoptions allow for contact, but in the case of international adoption, it’s not always possible to have any relationship with the birth families. This is not an easy thing for anyone to accept, and children will naturally grieve for the loved ones that they may have never known.

Enter books like Little Monday. What Côté does here is introduce a book that not only addresses the grief and loss, but also gives children the hope that their birth families are with them, that the family they have lost is watching over them and that they will never be truly alone. What an amazing reassurance this is! Little Monday embodies all the fears and longings that I know Sprout will one day grapple with, and this simple picture book will be one more way that we underscore for him that his birth family is never really lost to him.

Even if your child is not adopted, Little Monday is a sweetly powerful way for you to talk to him or her about loss. What better way to begin the healing process, and to draw closer as a family.

With You Always, Little Monday by Geneviève Côté, published by Harcourt

All ages

Source: Library

Sample quote: “And there, in the big bright moon, a rabbit was smiling at him. Little Monday rubbed his eyes. ‘Could you be my mommy?’ he called. ‘But you’re so far away, up there in the sky!’”

Recommended