May Bird and the Ever After

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Reader: Bernadette Dunne

Producer: Random House

Production Year: 2005

Lexile: 810L

Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary to middle school boys and girls.

Listeners Advisory: For another well read book with a female protagonist, listen to Cornelia Funke's Inkheart.

Summary:
May Bird lives in Briery Swamp, West Virginia with her mother and cat, Somber Kitty. She doesn't quite fit in with the kids at school and prefers wandering the woods to spending time with other children. After May and Somber Kitty find a letter to May buried in the ruins of the old post office, strange things start to happen. A map in the letter guides May to a lake hidden behind a wall of brambles. One night May falls in the lake and wakes up in the Ever After. It is where people go when they die, but May isn't dead! She has been rescued by her house ghost, Pumpkin. May finds herself in great danger because most ghosts and specters in the Ever After are deathly afraid of "live ones" and are under strict instructions from the ruler, Bo Cleevil, to call the Bogey on any "live one" they see. May has to make a difficult decision. Should she try to get home to Briery Swamp, or travel North to find the lady who wrote the letter requesting her help? In this first book (of the trilogy) May makes it as far as the city of Ether to ask the Book of the Dead what she should do. And although May doesn't know it for most of the book, her loyal cat, Somber Kitty, is never too far off her trail.

My favorite passage:
Shortly after May arrives in the Ever After she sees the word "help" graffitied on a wall. She wonders to herself how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself. (Disc 2)

What I really think:
Bernadette Dunne brings the characters to life with her wonderful voices and is definitely in touch with her inner child. This story is truly beautiful. We feel for May as she struggles to gain the self confidence to help both herself and others. Somber Kitty is a real hero and a perfect example of unconditional love. This is a book for all the misfits out there and everyone who has ever said "I can't."

George's Secret Key to the Universe

Authors: Lucy and Stephen Hawking with Christophe Galfard

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 1020L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Advanced elementary and middle school readers who are interested in space.

Reader's Advisory: This book reminds me of Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, which also uses the novel format to deliver factual information. Sophie's World is for an older audience than George's Secret Key to the Universe, but is not out of reach for a bright middle schooler.

Summary:
When George's pet pig Freddy wanders onto the forbidden lot next door, George meets his new neighbors, Eric and Annie. Eric is a scientist who uses his computer, Cosmos, to travel the universe searching for another planet like Earth. Annie is his daughter. George is in awe of Eric and his computer because his own parents are very distrusting of technology, growing their own food and preferring candles to electricity. Then disaster strikes when George's evil teacher, Dr. Reaper, tricks Eric into falling into a black hole and steals Cosmos. It is up to George and Annie to learn about Eric's recent discoveries about black holes and get Cosmos back to save him.

My favorite passage:

"Now," continued Eric, "the question we all came to answer is a question of fundamental interest for everyone who is involved in science. We all know far too well how it can be used for evil purposes, and that is why we have all taken the Oath of the Scientist, so that science is used only for the good of humanity. But we are now facing a dilemma. As you heard in the news and saw at the environmental march on Saturday, more and more people are concerned about the state of the Earth. So, the question we now have to answer is: Should we concentrate on finding ways to improve life on Earth and face its problems, or should we try to find another planet for humanity to inhabit?"
All the scientists in the room were silent and looked very serious. George watched them as they wrote an answer on a little piece of paper. Eric then collected the papers in a hat. In total, including Eric and the red-haired speaker, eight scientists had voted. Eric then started to open up the papers one by one.
"The Earth."
"The Earth."
"Another planet."
"Another planet."
"Another planet."
"The Earth."
"The Earth."
"Another planet."
"Well, well," said Eric. "It seems we have a split vote."
The red-haired Professor Crzkzak put up her hand. "May I make a suggestion?" she asked. Everyone else nodded. She got to her feet. "George," she said, addressing the boy directly, "we may lack a bit of perspective on this matter, because we are all specialists in our fields. So you could maybe tell us what you think about it."
All the scientists were looking at him now. George felt very shy and stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Say what you really think," whispered Professor Crzkzak.
Twisting his fingers in his lap, George thought about his parents and the green campaigners. He then thought about the excitement of traveling in space and trying to find another home out there. And then he heard himself say to the scientists, "Why can't you do both?" (pg 190-192)

What I really think:
This book can do two great things: It can teach young people about the benefits of scientific research, and it can also teach them that they are not too young to understand difficult scientific concepts. That said, I think Hawking is a little full of himself. The cover of the book proclaims, "Includes the Latest Ideas about Black Holes!" In the book we read that particles actually leak from black holes. These particles are called "Hawking Radiation." I commend the man for sharing this information with children, but perhaps he could be a little more modest about it.

Hauntings And Other Tales of Danger, Love, And Sometimes Loss

Author: Betsy Hearne

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 1300L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Middle and High Schoolers who like folk tales or scary stories. Boys and girls.

Readers Advisory: For those interested in more stories from Ireland, try Nory Ryan's Song, an historical fiction novel by Patricia Reilly Giff.

Summary:
This is a book of short stories divided into three sections. The stories in the first section take place in the past and are mostly set in Ireland. The stories in the second section take place in the present and are set mostly in the United States. The stories in the third section are set in heaven and hell and are timeless. Not all of the stories are about hauntings but those that aren't fall into one of the other categories indicated in the title: danger, love, and/or loss.

My favorite passage:

By this time I was back at the table not listening to Mom and Dad and Julie plan the future, but thinking about the baby-sitter. And I got this creepy feeling, like who was she and why did she volunteer at the last minute? Anybody could say they were a baby-sitter and walk off with my little sister. She'd follow them in a minute if it meant having an adventure like her beloved hobbits. And anybody who had hold of my little sister wouldn't have to worry about my identifying anybody at any time ever. Mom told me to stop squirming, but I couldn't. I practically dragged them out of the restaurant, and they were laughing, trying to keep up with me back to the hotel. When we unlocked the hotel room door, everything was dark except for the TV flickering. The sitter was there, waiting with her coat on to go home, and Megan was a little heap asleep in the bed. I kind of slumped onto my cot, feeling like a fool, but also feeling like the world would never be safe again. (pg 88-89)

What I really think:
The title (Hauntings) and cover of this book make it seem like a "scary story" book. This is what I was expecting when I picked it up. As a scary story book it is a disappointment. Kids who actually want shivers should read Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories series.
The Irish stories would work better told aloud. They have more plot than characterization. This is very typical of the oral tradition but if the stories are to be moved into the realm of writing, they need to be fleshed out. Or they could be presented as stories the reader can learn to tell, complete with instructions. These are also the least scary stories in the book.
The American section is my favorite. These stories really deal with issues, like death, and have characters we can sympathize with. These are the scariest stories, and it isn't because of the supernatural, it is because of things like terrorist bombings.
The stories from Heaven and Hell are charming. They leave you with something to think about.

Thank You, Lucky Stars

Author: Beverly Donofrio

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

Publication Year: 2008

Lexile: 950L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Mid to late elementary school girls.

Reader's Advisory: For a non-fiction book on friendship check out The Best Friends' Handbook by Erica Orloff.

Summary:
Ally Miller is super excited about starting fifth grade. She and her best friend Betsy are in the same class and they are going to be in the fifth grade talent show together. But when Ally arrives at the bus stop on the first day she is met with disappointment. She and Betsy were supposed to dress alike, but Betsy is dressed like Mona (their sworn enemy) instead. Things go downhill from there as Ally realizes she has Betsy replaced her, but she is now the school reject. The only person who wants to be her friend is even weirder than she is: the new kid Tina. Tina wears pants that are too short and looks like she could own a pet snake. But as the weeks go on, Ally learns to appreciate Tina's friendship and even teachers her how to disco so they can dance together in the talent show. After Tina and Ally have a disastrous run through in front of the other talent show participants, Betsy and Mona tell Ally that their band needs a go-go dancer. Will Ally ditch Tina to join the group that has been ostracizing her all year?

My favorite passage:

You know those lines in the wedding vows, "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health"? When I thought about it, I saw how that was kind of how it would feel being friends with Tina - except for the "till death do us part" part. Here was the "worse" part: she really did look like she had a pet snake, and she did sometimes wear weird Princess Leia hair. She talked All The Time, and kept right on waving her arm like a rusty fan in class even though Mrs. No Joy hardly ever called on her. And Tina was a reject.
Then again, so was I.
Here was the "better" part: she was funny in her strange Tina way. She was really smart and knew a lot about a whole lot of things, even if she did make some of it up. And she liked me, even though she could plainly see that just about nobody else did. Plus, she'd stuck up for me. She was a loyal friend. And I had to admit, lunchtime was the most fun part of every day.
And so when Tina invited me to her house after school to cut out pictures for the talent show bulletin boards, I accepted. (pg 77-78)

What I really think:
Parts of this book are touching and parts are painful, and in both cases it is because of how real these friendship issues are. Kids first start to think about popularity in the fourth and fifth grade. They have to worry about their own status as "cool" or "uncool" and also have to decide how they are going to treat people who are less "cool" than they are. This book is so, so important to children at this time in their lives. They will certainly relate to one character or another and begin to understand how fifth graders can be cruel to one another, but can choose not to be. Hopefully they will also see that being uncool isn't the end of the world, and there are still great friendships to be had.

Rules of the Universe by Austin W. Hale

Author: Robin Vaupel

Publisher: Holiday House

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 850L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Boys in late elementary to middle school who like science fiction (and science fact!).

Reader's Advisory: For a science fiction book with a female protagonist try Madeline L'Engle's An Acceptable Time.

Summary:
Austin is a 13 year old boy who likes looking at microorganisms under his microscope. He has learned everything he knows about science from his grandfather Walter. Now Walter is coming to stay with Austin's family because he is dying of cancer. Austin is excited to see his grandfather, but having trouble coping with the fact that he is dying.
Walter brings Austin an exciting gift - a miniature star. This star starts making Austin's wishes come true! Even wishes he doesn't know he has.
The star transforms his two clownfish into lungfish, his lizard into a pterosaur, and his old dog into a puppy. But that is only the beginning of the "enhancements" Austin either purposely or accidentally performs using Spark (the star).
Austin gets into trouble when he starts enhancing humans. He causes both his friend Rey, and his angsty 14 year old sister, Garland, to regress to younger versions of themselves. After several close calls at Camp Quantum (a two week summer science camp), Austin is forced to be more careful when wielding his star power.
His greatest and last enhancement is supposed to be saving the life of his grandfather and he wants to get it just right.

My favorite passage:

"What's happened to you, child?" Walter asked, and reached out to a tendril of hair that protruded from her temple like an orange antenna.
Austin flinched. To comment, even offhandedly, about Garland's appearance was beyond insulting; it was to confess your own ignorance about art, culture, and creativity.
Garland sighed and gave her eyes a half roll. "Okay, so nothing has happened to me. It's called Tainted Sunset."
Walter was straining to see past the heavy eyeliner and mascara to find the granddaughter he remembered. He wasn't the only one who'd lost sight of her; Austin knew there had once been another Garland, before the transformation of her eighth-grade year, when she had disappeared under a shroud of black clothes, but the shadow of this present sister had eclipsed the memory of her.
"My hair color, Granddad, do you like it?"
"No," he said, "I don't. You look like something from a Parisian back alley."
She tossed her head back, smiling slightly, and Austin thought there was a terrible glory about Garland as the sun lit up her hair and glinted off her facial jewelry.
"That is so amazing you said that, Granddad, because I'm going to Paris someday."
"For college?"
"No!" she said disdainfully. "For something real. I'm going there to live and write poetry."(pg 11-12)

What I really think:
I like the way this book deals with death and dying. Austin can get almost anything he wants with his wish giving star, but he can't force a life upon his grandfather that his grandfather doesn't want. Vaupel also illustrates in many ways the hard lesson: be careful what you wish for. She skillfully delivers these points in the unusual context of a boy who has more unicellular friends than multicellular ones and reflects on the occurrences in his life using lab notes. I am a little disappointed that Garland isn't restored to her 14 year old self at the end. Older sisters should be accepted for who they are during all the difficult phases of their adolescence.