The Birthday Ball

Written by Lois Lowry

Illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Most enjoyed by 4th through 6th graders

Princess Patricia Priscilla is turning 16 soon and dreading it. On that day, at her birthday ball, she must choose a husband according to the laws of the domain. Unfortunately, that is the last thing Princess Patricia wants to do. She's bored with her life and so, inspired by a conversation with her chambermaid Tess, decides to switch places for one day with the girl and become a peasant. After putting on Tess's humble garments, Princess Patricia heads off to school, there becoming the student Pat and learning that there are quite a few differences between peasant life and royal life. The headmaster welcomes her but he's very different from the old, stern teacher Tess had warned her about. In fact, he's young, quite handsome and very kind.

Meanwhile, in domains far away, four princes get ready to woo Princess Pat. Each one is repulsive in his own way and not a single one of them cares a bit about her, concerned only about the prestige and power and money a marriage to her will bring. As the ball nears, Pat becomes more determined to have her way but the princes are just as determined as well. Which one will Pat choose? Will she be forced to live the rest of her life in misery or will she find a way to make her dreams come true?

'The Birthday Ball' is a delightful tale of a young princess taking charge of her life. The four princes from which Pat must choose are each deliciously disgusting so readers cringe throughout the story guessing which one will be selected. Thanks to Tess, the headmaster Rafe, and the peasant school children, Pat changes from a self-centered, disinterested princess to one that is warm and caring. When Pat makes her choice, readers will cheer and agree that it's the very best choice.

While the cover of 'The Birthday Ball' may appeal to younger readers, I think the book is best enjoyed by slightly older readers, say 4th through 6th graders. The preparations the four princes go through to woo Pat are so extreme they're funny. Pat herself is a character that one dislikes initially due to her self-centeredness, but as she changes, so do the reader's feelings about her. I particularly liked the royal staff who serve the King, Queen and Princess so faithfully, especially the three singing servant girls. I found myself humming along with them as they sang in their three-part harmony.

'The Birthday Ball' is a perfect read for a lazy summer day so grab a pencil and add it to your summer reading list (you have one started, don't you?!).

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly

Written by Alan Madison

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Most enjoyed by Kindergartners through 3rd Graders

Velma is starting first grade and she wants to make her mark. Everyone remembers her two big sisters for all of the special things they did, like singing beautifully and running very fast. Velma tries to draw attention to herself but her choices get her into a little trouble. Velma is thrilled when Mr. Plexipuss begins a science unit on butterflies. Could learning about butterflies be the very thing to make Velma special? When the class takes a field trip to the Butterfly Conservatory, Velma is able to put her butterfly knowledge to work in a way everyone is sure to remember.

I love Velma's spunk. Here's a first grader who has such enthusiasm it could be contagious. She plunges into learning about butterflies with gusto. You almost get the feeling that she'd have the same excitement even if she were studying slugs. Author Alan Madison has perfectly captured that single-mindedness many youngsters have about their favorite subjects.

Add 'Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly' to a science unit on butterflies or as a family read-aloud before going to a butterfly conservatory. The various caterpillars and butterflies depicted on the book's end papers will give you lots of species to watch for. How many of them can be found here where we live?

Extra Credit

Written by Andrew Clements

Illustrated by Mark Elliot

Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th Graders

Afghanistan is in the news a lot, and not always favorably. With war reports on the radio and TV almost daily, I suppose, from a young person's perspective, that the country and it's people don't make the best impression. But within Afghanistan are children, and many of those children have the same dreams and desires as our American children do. This can be forgotten among those daily war reports. 'Extra Credit' will change that and give young readers a new way to think of the people of Afghanistan.

Abby Carson is on the verge of being held back from sixth grade. Oh, she's plenty smart, it's just that homework isn't important to her. Spending time in the woods behind her farm house and climbing the rock wall in the gym mean much more that math problems or science worksheets. But ignoring all that work puts Abby behind, leading her teachers to suggest she repeat 6th grade. As an extra-credit assignment to help move her forward, Abby offers to become a pen-pal with a girl in Afghanistan and to share the letters with her classmates.

On the other side of the world, Abby's request is discussed among the elders of a small village outside Kabul. The best writer in the village is a young boy named Sadeed, but it is improper for a boy to write letters to a girl. So the elders decide the have Sadeed's younger sister Amira write the letters with Sadeed's help. But as the first letters are exchanged, both Sadeed's and Abby's eyes are opened to the world beyond their small towns. Soon, the project that seemed to only be more work, takes on special meaning and an importance of it's own.

At the heart of this book is the story of two young people getting to know each other over thousands of miles and discovering that they share many of the same dreams. Despite cultural differences, they are able to forge a friendship that lasts for a short while but stays with both forever.

There will be lots to talk about and think about when you finish 'Extra Credit' - Afghanistan, it's culture and history, as well as our role in shaping it today and in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if the book also results in an increase in readers wanting pen pals of their own. And wouldn't that be a great way to learn about another part of the world?

Trouble

By Gary D. Schmidt

Most enjoyed by 6th through 8th graders

This, I can say right now, is the best book I've read this summer. Yes, there's lots of summer left so I suppose some other book might come along to take it's place, but I doubt it. Early buzz on Trouble has it short-listed for an award, like a Newbery or Printz, but whether it wins an award or not, it's still a fantastic book. 7th and 8th grade book club members take note: Trouble is a title we will want to put at the top of our reading list this year.

Henry Smith's father has always said that if you build your house far away from trouble, trouble will never find you. For years, this has been true for the Smith family. They are one of the oldest families in Blythbury-by-the-Sea, their home, wealth and position in town having been secured by generations for Smith's before them. Oldest brother Franklin is a star athlete in the local high school, a senior destined to carry on the Smith family tradition. He has promised Henry that together they would climb Mt Katahdin in Maine. Henry longs to go to prove to Franklin that he has the guts to do it, to earn the respect he seeks from Franklin. Trouble seems to keep it's distance from the family until one night, when Franklin is out running, he is hit by a car, loses an arm and suffers severe brain damage. Trouble has arrived. The driver of the truck is Chay Chouan, a Cambodian immigrant from the neighboring town of Merton and a fellow student at Franklin's high school. With Chay's arrest, tensions between the two towns come to a head. But for Henry, watching his brother lie motionless in a hospital bed, the trouble he longs for most is to climb Katahdin himself, to accomplish the goal he and his brother set, the goal his brother will no longer be able to meet. As he prepares for the climb, trouble continues to dog his heels, until Henry and his family finally make peace with it.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot because if I do, I'll give quite a bit of the story away. Trust me - read this book. Trouble will give you lots to think about.

100 Cupboards
By N.D. Wilson
Most enjoyed by 5th graders through 8th graders

Henry, Kansas is a dry, dusty town that time seems to have forgotten. It is to be Henry's summer home when his travel-writing parents are kidnapped on a trip to Columbia. Aunt Dot, Uncle Frank, and their three girls welcome Henry to their farm, a place where Henry can roam free and learn to play baseball, something his over-protective parents won't let him do at home.

Life on the farm is quiet until Henry wakes one morning to find plaster on his forehead and two knobs sticking out of the wall above his bed. Watching the knobs turn, Henry can hear something thump behind the wall. Intrigued, Henry begins to chap away at the plaster, uncovering a small cupboard door. The knobs seem to be dials of some sort. Henry chips away more plaster, revealing a second cupboard door; behind it is not a view of the barn at the back of the house as Henry expects, but the inside of a small, yellow post office. Henry's cousin Henrietta is convinced there is another world behind the door. Together, she and Henry remove all of the plaster, uncovering 99 cupboard doors in all. What could possibly be behind them all? And why only 99? It's such an odd number that Henrietta is sure there must be another cupboard door somewhere in the house, but where? Could it be behind Grandpa's bedroom door, a door that hasn't been opened in two years since Grandpa's death? Would the old man Henry saw leaving the bathroom in the middle of the night know something? The old man who entered Grandpa's bedroom and hasn't been seen since? And what's behind the small, black cupboard door, the one that grabbed hold of Henrietta's arm and wouldn't let it go?

The action in 100 Cupboards unfolds very slowly and deliberately until about the middle of the book, when the pace picks up and you can't put it down. Henry is a nice kid, one you feel a little sorry for because he's been so sheltered and protected by his parents. But he comes out of his shell when he faces the challenge presented by the cupboards. If you're a lover of mystery or fantasy stories, add 100 Cupboards to your reading list. But be warned - the book has a great ending, one a bit creepy for bedtime reading, but it doesn't wrap up all of the loose ends neatly. 100 Cupboards is the first in a new series and after reading this one, I hope the next book is out in time for next summer's reading! You can find 100 Cupboards at the Crystal Lake and Algonquin public libraries.

Tennyson
by Lesley M.M. Blume
Most enjoyed by girls in 4th grade through 8th grade

Their game of hide-and-seek ended badly. Sadie broke the rules and didn't come home. As evening darkened and Tennyson and Hattie waited for her on the porch, they began to realize that Sadie was never coming home. Their mother, unhappy with the life of responsibility that kept her from writing the stories and poems she loved, leaves the girls and their father. Tennyson and Hattie are sent to Aigredoux, the family mansion along the Mississippi River in Louisiana to be cared for by their Aunt Henrietta whom the girls have never met. Aigredoux is a grand house falling into decay in the woods surrounding it. Aunt Henrietta can't and won't see it, convinced that constant letters to the government seeking a return of the family fortune taken during the Civil War will provide the funding necessary to restore Aigredoux to it's former glory. Only Tennyson is able to see the sadness and gloom that surround the house, dating back to the years before and during the war. As the history of the house and family is revealed to her in dreams, Tennyson writes the story down and sends it off to her mother's favorite literary magazine in hopes that the stories will bring her mother home. As the published stories bring Tennyson fame, they also bring reality home in a painful way, leaving Tennyson with the realization that while Aigredoux's hold is strong, the time that saw it's decay can one day see it flourish again.

Set during the Depression, 'Tennyson' is full of sadness and hope. One minute the reader will feel sorry for Tennyson when her situation appears as bleak as the crumbling house, as history repeats itself in an eerie fashion. The next page reveals a glimmer of hope, created by Tennyson herself, making the dream of a new Aigredoux possible. But Tennyson's story doesn't have the neat, tidy ending she and the reader hope it will have, leaving the reader to think about Tennyson and Aigredoux long after closing the book.

Start 'Tennyson' on a hot, muggy summer evening as you sit outside in the dwindling daylight. You'll feel trasported right to Aigredoux along with Tennyson and Hattie, listening for the hushed sounds of the Mississippi river as you wait, like Tennyson, to hear the voices from the past.

Golden Legacy:

How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way

By Leonard S. Marcus

Most enjoyed by big kids of all ages

OK kids, go back outside to play, this post is for the big kids of the house, namely your mom or dad, grandma or grandpa. Here's a book that will take you on a trip down memory lane, but only if you're past the age of say, 30 years young. OK, maybe a little bit further past that age, but once you open this book, you'll see what I mean.

Raise your hand if you've lived your life without ever touching a Little Golden Book. I didn't think there'd be any hands raised out there. If you didn't read 'The Poky Little Puppy' as a tyke, then surely you were read 'Scuffy the Tugboat' or learned a prayer from 'Prayers for Children'. Little Golden Books are a staple of childhood and have been since they were first introduced to children in the 1940's. The brainchild of Whitman and Simon & Schuster publishing companies, Little Golden Books were intended to give families good reading value for a low price. Each book cost 25 cents when first introduced, affordable enough for families to purchase a number of them for their children. But the key to the books' success was that they were good stories illustrated by many of the day's best artists. Not many parents could pass up the idea of quality literature at affordable prices. The books sold immediately and over time, became a staple of family libraries all over the country.

'Golden Legacy' is the fascinating story behind the success of an American cultural icon. Each turn of the page of this over-sized book will bring back memories as you recount the stories you remember and love. It's a very readable history book, one you can enjoy at your leisure. Journey back to your childhood and relive some of your favorite Little Golden books. Perhaps you still have a few of these books tucked away in the attic? You can find 'Golden Legacy' at the Harvard Public Library.

Oggie Cooder

By Sarah Weeks

Most enjoyed by 3rd through 5th graders

As you read this review of 'Oggie Cooder', you'll want to have a piece of American cheese in hand so go ahead and grab a piece from the fridge, I'll wait. Hmmmm....hmmmm....you're back already? Unwrap that cheese and get ready 'cuz here comes Oggie.....

Oggie Cooder is a unique boy who loves his dog Turk, says Prrrr-ip! Prrrr-ip! when things are going his way, and can charve cheese. Yes, that's right, charve. As in carving and chewing a piece of cheese into a specific shape. Oggie has taught himself to charve cheese into the shape of every state in the US. No one knows Oggie can charve; it's been his own secret for ages, something he does when he gets nervous or worried. But someone sees Oggie charving one day and decides that this special talent cannot stay secret for much longer. That someone happens to be Donnica Perfecto, a girl in Oggie's class who has never had time for Oggie until now. Donnica spies a poster for a Hidden Talents contest, one that will fly her to Hollywood if she wins. And Donnica is sure to win if only she can convince Oggie to teach her to charve. Oggie is more than willing, thrilled that Donnica is interested in his special talent. But Oggie's friends grow a little suspicious of Donnica and end up proving to the judges who has the real charving talent.

'Oggie Cooder' is a fun read, one perfect for long summer days with nothing to do but read and practice charving. By the way, is the piece of cheese in your hand looking at all like the state of Texas right now? How about Illinois? See, you can't read about charving without trying it for yourself! So next time Mom or Dad head to the store, ask them to stock up on cheese. With a copy of 'Oggie Cooder' in one hand, and a piece of cheese in the other, you'll keep busy on the long, lazy afternoons that lay ahead!

Chicago Tribune's Read & Write Project

Looking for a great way to share what you read with other kids? Check out the Chicago Tribune's Read & Write project. Each summer, the Chicago Tribune invites young people to write a book review about their favorite book. The Tribune selects some of the reviews to publish in their weekly Books section on Saturdays during the month of August. What an excellent way to share what you read with others! Two years ago, a Zion student had their review published in the Tribune. Will we have another student get selected this year? Why not try your hand and see? I'll be on the lookout for Zion student reviews come August!

Summer Vacation is Here! (well, almost)

Only 5 more days of school left and it's summer vacation (OK, as a young person pointed out to me earlier, only 4 1/2 days because of early dismissal on Friday so it doesn't count as a full day). No more worksheets or memory work or spelling tests.

HOWEVER....

that does not mean we stop reading! No, no, no! Summer is the best time to load up on all of the books you were too busy to read during the school year! The funny books, the scary ones, and especially the looooong books. Try to spend a little time each day reading. Read outside, inside, on vacation, at the park, anywhere you go this summer.

The Zion library blog goes into vacation mode starting today. I've been putting together my summer reading list for a few weeks now and it's quite long. If I get to most of the books on the list, I'll be lucky. I'll continue to blog about what I read but these won't just be titles from the Zion library. I'll feature some of the great reads I find at area libraries, including the Marengo, Woodstock, and Harvard libraries. If you can't find the books you read about here at your library, ask the librarians and they will be happy to order a copy of the book for you from another library. Summer days, here we come!