I neglected to mention that I will be in my homeland from December 17-27. I will resume my reviews when I return, but until then, check these books out:

2006 Global Reading Challenge

Many of these books were also used in the Kent and Federal Way, WA Battle of the Books last spring.

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Rhythmic Reads

I've been raving about this first book for a while, and the second was a pretty good follow-up to the rhythm of Tico Tango that my tutoring student enjoyed.


The Parrot Tico Tango, Anna Witte

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Tico Tango is a greedy parrot who snatches his friends' exotic fruit (the verses build like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as he gets more and more food. Eventually, however, his body can't hold it all... The book is also available in Spanish, which might be fun for folks taking Espanol 1 in middle or high school. Witte herself is a Spanish professor at Seattle University, and I hear she's fantastic. You might have a hard time tracking this book down, but I promise it's worth it.



Chili Chili Chin Chin, Belle Yang

This is a tale of friendship between a boy and his donkey, who is named for the sound his bells make. The text is minimal and repetitive, which made it a good choice for our tutoring sessions (it was obviously good for our practice with the "ch" sound).

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Books by people who have let me down

Once upon a time, there was a sports journalist. He was locally beloved for his wry and sometimes touching observations. Even some people who didn't like sports liked to read his column. (Note that here, he at least admits he's a hypocrite)

Then he wrote a bunch of books that are at a superficial level kind of heartwarming, until you realize that he's full of crap and producing his books with the sole intent of provoking emotion. It's not like he writes good literature and along the way it is touching because you feel so moved. It's like he took a course from people who were rejected from Lifetime Movie's writing team, then applied all he learned to his books, which include:



He's also a pretentious jerk, but that's another story. There is, of course, some irony in the idea that a lonely, rich, workaholic journalist writes "haunting tales" of love and the people who are important to us.

(I will note that when I did a Powell's search for Tuesdays with Morrie, they told me I might also like 1984. Take from that what you'd like.)


That rant said, I was similarly angered when I read Esme Codell's new book:


Sing a Song of Tuna Fish

which is inexplicably up for the Sasquatch Award. This book is far inferior to her 2003 book, Sahara Special, for which she won several deserved awards (but not the Sasquatch! Maybe they now feel guilty for their oversight?) Let it be known, lest you think I'm an Esme hater, that I loved this book, and my students did too.

In Tuna Fish, Esme shares stories of her life in fifth grade, all of which begin with the very "back in my day" phrase of, "Let me tell you something about..." It's a cute device, but the book definitely seems to be written to adults, not students. I admittedly haven't run into any kids who have read this book, so it'd be interesting to see what they think.

The other troubling thing about books related to Codell is that just like Albom, Codell seems to suffer from an inflated view of herself. The interesting memoir Educating Esme: A Diary of a Teacher's First Year is marred by the fact that there seems to be no educating going on -- Esme seems to arrive in the mean halls of a Chicago Public School with all her ducks in a row. She does just fine in her first year, which, I mean, great for her, but it causes her book to read like a tale of, "First I did this perfectly, then I did this perfectly, and some of my students didn't get me because I'm wacky and original, but eventually they all loved me." Good self esteem is nice and all, but I think it would have been nice to see her be a little more vulnterable. Codell also runs the modestly titled Planet Esme.

I think part of the reason why I'm so troubled by Codell is that I feel like ideologically, we share A LOT of the same views! I enjoy reading her book blog! I want to like her! I just worry that people will be turned off from her because they think she's pretentious.

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LGBT-friendly Schools

These two books highlight school communities where being LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi or transgender) isn't a big deal. They're both good stories, to boot! Both of these books are probably better for middle schoolers.


Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan

This is a fairly standard story of crushes and crossed communications, but played out from a gay student's perspective. The school is extremely LGBT-friendly and could pave the way for discussions about openness and acceptance. (From the publisher: "The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.") However, sometimes the book sashays and limp-wrists its way into the stereotypical.



Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, Dorian Cirrone

At last! This is one of just a few YA books that deals with the woes of having large breasts. Kayla winds up with the role of an ugly stepsister in the big ballet because of her buxom bosom, and she wrestles with the possibility of having a breast reduction surgery to get a more traditional dancer's figure. (Her dance instructor encourages her!) Meanwhile, she deals with boy issues and threatening messages posted near her red slippers.

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New Books that Look Old

Vintage goodies and nostalgia have been popular for a few years now, and I think I'm beginning to see some books following this trend. Here are two of my favorites:


Agent A to Agent Z, Andy Rash

Done in the vintage style popularized recently by The Incredibles, this book follows Agent A as he makes sure his operation's 25 other agents are using their letters of the alphabet to spy and obtain top-secret information. There is a disproportionately small number of women spies, and the ones who are featured are beautiful and mysterious (one is even lounging on a bed, waiting to receive secrets!?).



The Spider and the Fly, Mary Botham Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi

This Caldecott Honor book is one of two in recent years to be rendered in black and white (the other is Kitten's First Full Moon. The polylegged characters in this book are decked out in '20s duds. According to his Web site, his inspiration was the horror movies from the '20s and '30s. The images are great, but while we're talking about traditional gender roles, it's a shame the pretty fly is the one who gets suckered in yet again.

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The Velveteen Rabit, past and present

The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams

This book came to mind when I was thinking about wintery stories, but then I questioned whether this was a Christmastime book or a springtime book (as it takes place during both times, correct?). Middle schoolers might scoff at reading a book like this, but I can't even attempt to give an unbiased review because a beloved comparative drama professor read it to a class of college kids and had us all weeping. Thus, I'd say it's appropriate and timeless. (Does anyone else get the covers of this book and of Rabbit Hill mixed up?)



The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo

I didn't want to like this book. I didn't want to find it charming or heartwarming, probably because I was still grouchy and disappointed with DiCamillo's Mercy Watson (more on that later). The illustrations absolutely make this and give the book an antiquey feel, which seems to make it a little more OK that it's cheesy -- kind of in the same way that it's OK for Prairie Home Companion to be a little cheesy.

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One for the kids, one for you: Michigan novels

I was inspired to think about Michigan books because of the 5th Avenue Theatre's revival of White Christmas. One of the songs in the Irving Berlin musical is called, "I Was Born in Michigan," which I first heard at northern Michigan's Interlochen Center for the Arts.


Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

Bud sets his mind on tracking down his father, who believes is a famous jazz musician. This book is centered in Flint, Michigan (a town that was later the focus of Michael Moore's first film, Roger and Me), and it takes place during a time when the area was feeling the devastating effects of the Great Depression (Bud even stops in a Hoovertown). I admit, when I first encountered this book I thought it would be boring historical fiction, but it was an enjoyable plot-driven book that would be a good read-aloud. Your class will probably also enjoy Bud's wisdom sprinkled throughout the book, collectively known as, "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself."


Middlesex, Jeffrey Euginedes

Middlesex chronicles the life of an intersex person living in Detroit as it crumbles in the middle of the 20th century. It also covers her family two generations earlier. This is an amazing story of family, culture, and Detroit's history of racial and ethnic relations. Please forgive my skimpy review of this book, as my copy was lost in my move from Michigan to Seattle.

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