Chapter Book Review - Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool

Happy Pi Day! Yep, that's right - it's 3/14, also written as 3.14, which is of course the beginning sequence of that famously irrational number itself, pi. Every year this day sneaks up on me, which is kind of ironic since it's always the same date. But anyhoo, I always remember too late to do something special.

Luckily this year, however, I just finished reading a book that ties into Pi Day perfectly: the new novel by Newbery Medalist Claire Vanderpool, author of the incredible historical Moon Over Manifest. This new outing is also a historical, one that is similar in some ways to her award-winning debut but different enough to stand all on its own. Navigating Early is a wild ride of a novel, full of meditations on loss and loneliness, friendship and the power of belief. Yet it's not an introspective read -- this is a book about adventure and exploration, with plenty of action to keep the plot moving along.

It starts quietly, with Jack Baker, who has moved to Maine from Kansas after the death of his mother. Jack's father, a military man, is at loose ends with the loss of his wife, so he decides a boarding school is the best solution for Jack. And so the boy enters Morton Hill Academy, where he quickly makes a friend --  Early Auden, a decidedly quirky schoolmate who rarely goes to class and lives almost entirely within his own mind. Jack doesn't pretend to understand most of what Early goes on about: a giant black bear of near-mythical proportions, timber rattlesnakes (which Early stubbornly believes live in Maine, despite common knowledge to the contrary), and a bizarre story based on the never-repeating sequences of the number pi.

But when Jack finds himself stranded at school break, teaming up with Early to go on an adventure seems like the next best choice. Jack figures it's a fools errand, seeing as Early is on a quest to find Pi, the hero of his numerically-inspired tale. Still, there's nothing better to do, so the two boys head up the Kennebec River in a rowboat, with no idea of what's in store: pirates, a volcano, an ancient woman and a giant, and of course that enormous mankiller of a bear.

The quest is what will hook readers, and it's where Vanderpool's talents as a storyteller really shine forth. Really this novel contains so many disparate elements, from the bear to the math to the rowing trip to a missing war hero. It's fascinating to watch how she weaves in the elements of Early's story about Pi, deftly bringing the mythology to life and throwing our heroes right down in the middle of it. Don't kid yourself, these boys are in real peril, and Vanderpool pulls no punches. But even as we're fleeing with them through the forest, Vanderpool's pulling at our heartstrings, making the emotional climax that much more stirring and involving.

Early Auden's a narrator I'll not soon forget, with his singular perspective and habits, and his ability to see stories in the patterns of numeric sequence. But though Jack's is a quieter voice, it's no less strong -- for its articulation of loss, and the way we're all found, in the chorus of those we draw near.

Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool, published by Random House Kids
Ages 9-12
Source: ARC provided by the publisher; opinions, however, are all my own
Sample: "If I'd known what there was to know about Early Auden, that strangest of boys, I might have been scared off, or at least kept my distance like all the others. But I was new to the Morton Hill Academy for Boys, and to Cape Fealty, Maine. Fact was, I was new to anyplace outside of northeastern Kansas."
Highly recommended

Picture Book Review - Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins

Ooooh boy, does it seem like winter around here! In the Northwest that's more about rain and gray days than it is about snow, though Sprout is convinced it's going to snow ON CHRISTMAS and he will be super disappointed if (when?) it doesn't. And since he's been a little snow-obsessed these past few weeks we've been reading a bunch of books about wintry climes. Think penguins, polar bears, sledding, snowmen and of course our favorite Ezra Jack Keats classic (which honestly we just read all year round).

The other thing that's a running theme in the Kinser household these days is counting. Sprout is counting everything of late, with relish, and can actually get up to thirty, more or less accurately. Watching him learn these building blocks of knowledge is so exciting for us -- it's like having a front row seat to a pretty amazing discovery. The thrill for him in understanding how the numbers come together, and recognizing a pattern, is just palpable, and I love seeing this.

So with these two obsessions in mind, I was pretty thrilled to bring home today's pick, Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money. This quirky picture book is written by Emily Jenkins, who happens to be the author of one of our big favorites from earlier this year, What Happens on Wednesdays. And it's illustrated by G. Brian Karas, who we also adore -- so, win-win right from the get-go.

Beyond that, how can you not be charmed by a book whose premise is siblings who, bored one very cold and snowy day, decide to have a lemonade stand. Yup, a for-real, on-the-corner, ice-cubes-and-all lemonade stand. Though Mom and Dad try to dissuade Pauline and John-John, the kids are determined. And so they count out money for supplies, mix up their product and hit the streets -- in parkas and earmuffs, no less -- chanting their slogan: "Lemon lemon lime, lemon LIMEade! / Lemon lemon lime, lemon LEMONade!" (Catchy, no?)

This tale of young entrepreneurship is not only fun, it's a great learning experience to boot. (Just skip over the subtitle when you read it to your kiddos -- without it the "learning part" will just sneak right up on them!) At every turn, Pauline is educating her young brother about counting money, how many coins make up a dollar and how they can make back their initial supply investment. You don't see that kind of thing too often in a book that is this accessible to the younger crowd, so kudos to Jenkins for including it. And then there's the perserverance both kiddos show. When business is slow, as you might expet it to be when you're selling cold drinks in wintertime, the siblings come up with creative ways to boost their sales. Plus -- huge bonus in my book -- there's a truly multicultural cast of characters here, which we see as we meet the various members of Pauline and John-John's neighborhood. Love that!

In the end, is Pauline and John-John's project a success? Well, you'll have to be the judge of that. But what I can tell you, with certainty, is that this is a picture book that's not only whimsical and bursting with community, but that's solidly based in math and counting skills as well. And in whatever season you read this amusing story, you're bound to get your money's worth!

Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins, published by Schwartz and Wade
Ages: 3-6
Source: Library
Sample: "'Maybe nobody is on the street,' says Pauline, after a bit. 'Maybe nobody will want cold drinks.' / 'I'm on the street,' says John-John. 'I want them.' He grabs a cup of limeade. / 'Don't drink too much,' Pauline warns. 'It's fifty cents a cup.'"
Recommended