2008 Schneider Family Award WINNER

Kami and the Yaks
By Andrea Stenn Stryer

The award bestowed on this book is for best picture book exhibiting a disability. Kami, a Sherpa boy in the Himalaya, is deaf and helps his family by braving through treacherous weather to locate their lost yaks. Upon discovery of the yaks, he determines that one of their legs is stuck between two heavy rocks. When Kami courageously makes it back to his family, he manages to communicate the problem by gestures. The family accompanies Kami to rescue the yaks and they are very appreciative. What surprised me in this book is that he uses no formal sign language to communicate considering the boy’s age. I did like the way the author so vividly depicted the harsh environment of the Himalayas. The author's note about the culture at the end of the book will be a valuable tool to explain Sherpas. However, information about hearing impairment in another culture would have been additional bonus! Overall, this is a great story on persistence and bravery. I think children will recognize Kami’s frustration and appreciate his perseverance, courage and success. This also is an amazing teaching tool to illustrate that we ALL have something to contribute in this world.

2008 Printz Award WINNER

The White Darkness
By Geraldine McCaughrean

This is a story of a young teenage girl, named Symone, affectionately referred to as Sym who is captivated with stories of Antarctic exploration. It seems that she had always had a fascination with the subject, however, upon the death of her father, she seem to become obsessed by reading every book and watched every movie on the Antarctic. She identifies with the purity, isolation and silence of the white continent. Because Sym doesn’t fit in at school, she’s bullied, imagines conversations with historical people in her head, and doesn’t really get what the fuss is about boys. She has a vivid imagination and a sense of drama that her friends cannot understand. Sym embarks on a trip to France from England with her mother and family friend known as Uncle Victor. Although when they arrive at the airport her mother cannot find her passport, so Victor and Sym go ahead without her. As the story develops, the reader is given a sense of uneasiness and distrust about Uncle Victor. The author shows us a view of the Uncle that makes us question his motives. I think there is a horror in this survival story that is difficult to describe. The White Darkness is told entirely from the point of view of the main character, offering her observations of the other travelers and sharing her thoughts on the Arctic. I think the fact that the author is able to hold the readers interest while portraying the character in the manner that she did is amazing. This book is filled with action, mystery and a touch of the supernatural.

2008 Printz Honor Books (2)

One Whole and Perfect Day
By Judith Clarke

Seventeen-year old Lily has just about had it with her strange family as most teenagers do. Lily’s family is filled with an older brother who can't get his act together, her mom who continually brings home clients from the adult daycare center where she works, and her grandmother has an imaginary friend. Lily is very tired of always being the responsible one, and would like to fall in love. However, when her grandfather and brother begin feuding, Lily must put her plans on the back burner. While juggling other boiling pots and defusing family fueling flames, Lily helps to plan a family party. While reading, you wonder if Lily will ever get out of the kitchen with so many dirty dishes. Overall, One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke is a story of family relationships and no matter how “freakish” they are, they’re still family, the tie that binds.



Repossessed
By A M Jenkins

Kiriel wants to experience a bit of life although he is a demon, who prefers the term “Fallen Angel.” Before he begins his journey, he must acquire a body, which he finds from Shaun. Kiriel’s philosophy was that Shaun wasn’t going to need it anyway since his demise was near. Kiriel was determined to experience everything he could in Shaun's body before he gets caught. After having experiencing teenage life, Kiriel discovers that he wants to make a difference in the world. He finds that helping people is much more satisfying than seeking personal gratification. He also learns that what he really wants is to get a response from the Creator. Although he is in many ways different than the teen whose body he acquired, he is clearly a teenager in the cosmic sense, both rebelling against and seeking attention. I think this is an ingenious yet funny book with a lot of teen appeal. Told through Kiriel’s voice in the first person makes it distinctive and enjoyable. This is a book for mature readers for those who can delve into theological aspects, such as separation from the Creator. However, it is left up to the reader to decide, which is what a good book should do, make you think. Overall, I believe this book is an appreciation for creation and the attempt to find one’s place in the world.

WINNER of the 2008 Newbery Award

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
Voices from a Medieval Village
By Laura Amy Schlitz

Schlitz wrote these brief monologues to be performed by students at the school where she is a librarian. Because no one wanted a small part in the medieval production, so evolved Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Set in England in 1255, various people communicate about their lives, such as Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar, Pask who has run away from his harsh ruler, the local lord, Piers, the glassblower’s apprentice determined to get it right, Alice the shepherdess struggling to save her "sister" sheep, and many more. I think the well researched details and footnotes of information aid in the powerfulness of this performance. I feel that Schlitz wrote with a deep appreciation for the period that can be read silently or performed. Not being a huge fan of poetry or Shakespeare, overall, I thought it was a good book, well-researched and presented in an engaging manner. It would be a great book for a school unit on medieval history and an excellent choice for facilitating class discussions, or for sparking an interest in further research for motivated students.

2008 Newbery Honor Books (2)

Feathers
By Jacqueline Woodson

Perception can be different about this book. One could contend that it’s about bullies, good girls or social/racial relations. Others may say it is the story of a family holding itself together through many trials and tribulations. You will have to judge for yourself. This story begins with a new boy arriving at school who is different from the other kids or is he? He is named “Jesus Boy” because of his appearance and behavior. Frannie senses a sort of connection with Jesus, partly because she remembers being a stranger at a new school and partly because the boy knows Sign Language which she has known for quite some time since she has a hearing impaired brother. The author explores, through Frannie's eyes, many facets of growing up. Because she has experienced sorrow in her life (her brother's deafness, her mother's miscarriages) Frannie is able to see beyond it all and to look ahead to a time when the pain subsides. Frannie learns to deal with religious ideas, racism, the meaning of friendship, family love, and simple human kindness. I felt slim novel packed with power calls you to look beneath the surface and find hope.



The Wednesday Wars
By Gary D. Schmidt

Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High and the only Presbyterian student, must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Holling, who believes Mrs. Baker hates him because of this situation, spends that first month's Wednesday afternoons completing classroom chores that she gives him. Due to a classroom mishap, (rats escape) Mrs. Baker decides to shift gears and spend the Wednesday afternoons doing Shakespeare. Mrs. Baker tells Holling that Shakespeare wrote about being human more beautifully than anyone else. I think Holling is quite funny as he relates his tragic/comical journey through 7th grade; including his Perfect Family, his part in a Shakespearean play (in yellow tights! with feathers!), his friends and enemies, his adventures and misadventures, all the while quoting Shakespeare's!

2008 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (3)

Skulduggery Plesant
By Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is an excellent adventure for students who like to escape to a world of fantasy. The turns and twists along with humor and witty dialogue will keep teenage readers on their seats with every turn of the page. Skulduggery Pleasant is a detective with mystical powers, cunning skill, and a sharp edge for a skeleton with no brain. The main character, Stephanie Edgely alias Valkyrie Cain, became involved with Skulduggery when she determines that her uncle’s books were more than frightening fiction. I think it was an indication of what was to come. This book is a blend of fright, horror and odd images to keep adolescent readers laughing and squirming from page to page.

The Arrival
By Shaun Tan

This wordless graphic novel depicts an immigrant man who leaves his family in order to find a better life for them. The panels of illustrations show the people and places he discovers in the course of finding a place to call home. This book not only tells the story of this particular man, but represents the vast number of immigrants who preserved to find an improved life for their families. Readers will be able to sympathize with this man as he experiences the oddness in new surroundings. I felt a sigh of relief as he met other immigrants who told their own stories of hardship and escape to show he was not alone in his quest. Although this may appear as a picture book, I would not suggest it for younger readers. The concept may escape them due to the symbolism of the man’s journey. In addition, this book could be a good tool to remind us that change is hard and sometimes necessary but the results can be wonderful.

Before I Die
By Jenny Downham

Let me begin by saying, this is not an easy book to read. The main character, Tessa, is a teenager with terminal leukemia. She decides to refuse treatment in order to take advantage of her remaining time and therefore makes a list of things she’d like to do before she dies. This list is that of a typical teenage consisting of sex, drugs, and criminal behavior for which consequences would not have to be endured. However, Tessa’s illness forces her to appreciate things in a different way and to look for the things that truly matter. Ultimately when our last days arrive as some day they will, we should be as lucky as Tessa to be allowed a death that is comfortable, meaningful and surrounded by the love of friends and family.

2008 Best Books for Young Adults (2)

The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss
Edited by Claire Nouvian

This beautifully photographed nonfiction book conveys underwater life extraordinarily well. I believe the pictures provided in large full color will delight readers with images that most will not be afforded the opportunity to see firsthand. I think readers will be able to absorb meaningful information from the outstanding depictions of deep sea life. These visuals are also accompanied by essays from deep-sea biologists who add even more realism. The large format of this book presents the uniqueness of the abyss to reflect the beauty the lies beneath.




What They Found: Love on 145th Street
By Walter Dean Myers

In a neighborhood, most of the families and friends have a common thread that draws them together. This book picks up from a previous novel by Myers entitled 145th Street Short Stories about the lives that revolve on 145th Street in Harlem. What They Found: Love on 145th Street centers on exactly that, LOVE. Young adults will be attracted to this book’s revelations to the complexities of love. It is the different facets of love portrayed on 145th Street that is revealed and each story shares a relationship - romantic love, sibling love, parental love, and more. For example, the frustration of loving a brother who is a constant disappointment to the family and leading a life of drugs and crime takes its toll on love. Myers describes the tough love of women raising children alone or trying everything to hang onto the father of a child. Love in some relationships beat the odds stacked against them, while others continue to exist only in fantasies. I felt that each chapter shares a story and many of them overlap and intertwine as readers are reacquainted with the neighborhood of 145th Street and the love that is shared. I think Myers leaves the reader with an explanation of the frightening need for love while facing the world beyond 145th Street.