The Adventures of Beanboy

My eleven-year-old son read The Adventures of Beanboy, a finalist for this year's middle grades fiction Cybils award. He loved it! He also loves to be interviewed ~ he's quite the critic. The following is part of my interview with Mateo. Enjoy!

Tell me about The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader

The Adventures of Beanboy is about a boy named Tucker MacBean. His mom works at a bank, and she can never come home in time to spend time with her family. She can't quit her job because she doesn't have a college scholarship and needs money for school. Tucker loves this comic book, H2O Submerged. The comic book company is holding a contest to create a new sidekick for H2O. The winner gets a college scholarship. Tucker enters the contest to try to
win college money for his mom.

This book was a mixture of humor and drama, can you name one funny scene and one dramatic scene from the book?

A funny scene was when he was creating the sidekick, Beanboy, and decided his super power should be farts. Hilarious!

A dramatic scene was when Samantha Zawicki took Tucker's newest edition of the H2O comic and threw it in the puddle at it was ruined. It set up the conflict between Samantha and Tucker that goes on through the book. However, they eventually become friends, but you'll have to read the story to find out how.

Does this book remind you of any other books you’ve read? Why?

Probably the book Rules, because both characters have to look out for their little brothers, and both the little brothers have special challenges. David in Rules has autism and Beecher in The Adventures of Beanboy didn't get enough oxygen when he was born.

Who was your favorite character?

Obviously, the main character Tucker MacBean.

Who was your least favorite character? Did you have one?

I did not have a least favorite character. I liked the way the author made all of the characters. They were all interesting even if they were mean.

Do you think the author should write a sequel? Why?

No. I don't want to spoil the ending for other readers, but no. Mom, don't tell them why because it will give away the best part of the story. Let's just say that I think it's a good stand-alone book.

Would you recommend this book to a friend?

Yes, I would. I would recommend it to all my friends ~ that's how good it is.

If you could talk to the author, what would you say?

I would say that she created a wonderful book, and that it is one of those books that kids will read over and over and over...

Blog you later!

Ali B. & Mateo

Oh No ~ Except If

What makes a picture book special? For me, it's the way the book blends illustration and text. That's why I'll buy it instead of borrowing it. I recently read two of Jim Averbeck's books ~ Except If and OH NO, Little Dragon! ~ and loved the way he combined whimsical art and color with simple text and content to create picture books that preschoolers will adore.

In Except If, there is an egg. And, of course, from the egg a bird will hatch... Except if it's a snake egg... or a lizard... or... What makes this a perfect book for toddlers and preschoolers is the way it prompts children to question what they see. Kids must "think outside the egg" and are rewarded with a variety of possibilities.

The illustrations are adorable. Really. Single colored creatures, eggs, rocks and grass keep the child focused on the changing possibilities rather than intricate pictures.

This book is in my shopping cart ~ ready for my favorite toddler.

OH NO, Little Dragon! is also a charming and simple book for young audiences. In this story, a mischievous little dragon loses his spark and can longer breathe fire. He tries to relight it, but nothing works. Scared that his mama will stop loving him, Little Dragon tells her about his problem. When Mama assures her son that she will always love him, it warms Little Dragon's heart and his flame is restored.

Like some other great children's books, OH NO, Little Dragon! tackles the subject of a mother's eternal love. At some point in every child's life they worry that they will do something to make their mother stop loving them. OH NO, Little Dragon! helps put those fears to rest.

As in Except If, Averbeck draws simple characters to accompany the story. However, the illustrations in OH NO, Little Dragon! are more detailed. The main characters and their immediate surroundings are in color, but the background details are in a subtle, chalk-outlined gray. It is a charming way to focus children and bring color and detail to the story's action while still including the scenery.

My favorite toddler is getting this one too.

Blog you later!

Ali B.

The Best of 2012

I'm a week late with this "best of" post. If only I had some noble reason for my tardiness - hand-feeding baby hummingbirds or knitting sweaters for chilly chihuahuas ~ but alas, I do not. To be quite honest, I've just avoided putting together a list of my favorites. It's hard. There's so much greatness to choose from. But I'll procrastinate no longer.  Here are my picks.

Second Runner-Up


The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine ~ This spectacular work of middle grades fiction is one of the year's (2012) finalists for the Cybils award. I had the honor and pleasure of being a Round One judge for this year's nominees, and this compelling story of biracial friendship during the civil rights movement was one of my early favorites. Here's what I had to say about Kristin Levine's laudable book.





First Runner-Up

Wonder by RJ Palacio ~ I could not love this book any more. The believable character, the touching story, and the changing points of view combine to make Wonder a contender for children's literary awards, including the Cybils. I have recommended this beautiful book to every fifth grader I know.








My Favorite

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green ~ This isn't just my favorite book of the year or my favorite young adult book, The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books I've ever read. It's sad and funny and wise. If you haven't already done so, please read it.








I didn't pick by genre, I just picked books that engaged me as a reader. These three books made me laugh and cry and THiNK. They are stories that I will read again and again.

Blog you later,

Ali B.

The CYBILS Finalists

Round One is over. The finalists have been announced. Those of us who kept the reading flame burning well into the night have officially passed the torch to the final judges. Now they must read our shortlist of worthy contenders and choose just one book. One winner. It won't be easy. The finalists are that good - that worthy of recognition.

There are eleven genres receiving awards, everything from Book Apps to Young Adult Fiction. If you'd like to read a brief summary and blurb about why each book was chosen, click on the link The 2012 Cybils Finalists. There's something for everyone.

If you have been fortunate enough to read one or more of these books, please leave a reply in the comment section. Any genre. Any book. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these great stories. 

Here are the finalists in my category, Middle Grades Fiction:

     Almost Home by Joan Bauer                      

                   

     Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

     Fourmile by Watt Key

      Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

     The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader

        The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

      Wonder by RJ Palacio

Blog you later!

Ali B.

Esperanza Rising ~ Pam Muñoz Ryan Visit

I love my kids' school. It's a magical place. The teachers are incredible, and I couldn't imagine a more creative learning environment for my son and daughter. One of the things I love most about our great school is that our students learn about and value art in all its forms - visual, written, performance, and musical.

The fifth grade classes have been studying California. The history, culture, government, climate, landscape and the art. The teachers have been reading the glorious book, Esperanza Rising, and discussing Mexican farm labor, migrant workers, and the San Fernando agricultural area among other things. It is the perfect book to generate a rich and interesting dialogue.

The big drumroll moment came yesterday. Pam Muñoz Ryan, the author of Esperanza Rising, came to talk to our students about her life as an author and to answer questions about her work. She brought and autographed donated copies of her books for the school and generously agreed to read the last chapter of Esperanza's story. The kids were thrilled. The teachers were thrilled. It was magical.

In honor of the author's visit, I am re-sharing a previous blog post I wrote on Esperanza Rising. If you haven't read the book, please do. And share it with your favorite student studying California history. You won't be disappointed.

"Be patient and the fruit will fall into your hand."  This quote is from Esperanza Rising, a middle grades book by Pam Muñoz Ryan.  It is also the words the author wrote to my twelve year old niece, Lindsay, when she autographed the book for her in 2001.  The story of Esperanza is one of hope and patience, and what it truly means to be rich.

I loved the story of Esperanza, the wealthy Mexican landowner's daughter who becomes a campesina living and working on a company farm in the San Fernando valley during the Great Depression.  I thought that Muñoz Ryan did a lovely job of portraying the plight of the Mexican farm worker, accurately describing their struggles with a MG-age appropriate story.

I was worried when I first started the book that Esperanza was going to be a stereotypically spoiled rich girl who transforms into a hardworking farm worker and a union hero.  Thankfully, she wasn't.  Esperanza did come from a life a privilege and was accustom to nice things, but she did what she had to do to support her family.

Muñoz Ryan does make the distinction between migrant of the working/peasant class and those that came to the camps from wealthy backgrounds.  The working class families endured the hard work and living conditions of field workers in San Fernando Valley with the hope of making a better life for themselves.  They viewed the work they did as an opportunity to improve their lives.  Their wealthy counterparts had fallen from positions of power and luxury.  The prospects of hard work were daunting, but the emotional toll was even more difficult.  In the minds of the formerly wealthy campesino, life was cruel and farm work was about survival, not self-improvement.

I loved the author's use of frutas y verduras as the chapter titles.  Esperanza learns to mark the passage of time not by seasons or months, but by cosechas.  The book also delves into the early efforts of migrant workers to unionize and strike for better living and working conditions and for fair wages.  Valley Fever, an illness that still exists, is another of the risks that field workers of the San Fernando Valley faced as they strived to provide for their families.

Muñoz Ryan peppers her dialogue with spanish word and phrases and gives young readers a taste of life in Mexico and in Great Depression-era California.  It's a great book for the classroom or the home.

This book brought to mind other amazing stories of class, power, adversity and the struggle for equality. Here are a few that come to mind:

The Lemon Grove Incident (movie)
Me Llamo Rigoberta Menchu y Así Me Nació La Conciencia by Rigoberta Menchu
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Roots by Alex Haley
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Add to my list.  I'd love to read your examples.

Blog you later!

Ali B

A Wookiee, A Worried Kid and a Mountain Girl

I can't let myself get too far behind on blogging. There's so much reading wonderfulness out there, and I just gotta write about it. However, in the interest of time to read CYBILS nominees, I will be keeping it brief. (insert wink emoticon)

My ten-year-old son has read all three of the Origami Yoda books. In fact, he's read each book multiple times. I know because I can hear him giggling through the walls. The latest book in the series, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, has been nominated for a CYBILS award in the Middle Grades Fiction genre. 

I'll have to admit I was skeptical. My son had explained the premise of the series, and I wasn't sure about the broad appeal of the ongoing story. I was wrong. Very wrong. The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee is hilarious. I love Tommy and Kellen and the rest of the wacky gang of friends at McQuarrie Middle School. I love how they stick together, argue, make-up and trust in paper Star Wars characters to solve their adolescent problems.

I recommend the Origami Yoda series to kids 8 - 12 who like a funny story with heart. 

Justin Case - Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom was another unexpected surprise. A wonderful surprise. I know I'm not suppose to judge a book by its cover, but with Justin Case, I did. I was expecting another Nate or Greg character (not that there's anything wrong with that) but instead I got Justin. Funny, worried, slightly-nerdy Justin. 

Rachel Vail is the author behind this funny book about a nervous kid who over thinks...everything. Justin has just finished fourth grade and will be spending the summer at camp. But not comfortable, tried and true science camp. This year Justin has decided to go to Camp GoldenBrook. And at GoldenBrook, Justin will be outside his comfort zone. Way outside his comfort zone.

Written as journal entries, Justin Case chronicles the ups and downs (mostly downs) and ins and outs of Justin's summer camp experiences. GoldenBrook is a camp more suited to athletes and competitors, but Justin sticks it out, finds some friends, and makes a firm decision about his plans for next summer. Science Camp, definitely.

I recommend this book to everyone.

My last book for this post isn't funny or silly. It is serious. And lovely. And heartbreaking. And inspiring. Child of the Mountains is the story of Lydia, a young girl growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia in the 1950s. Her mama is in prison, her little brother is dead, and Lydia alone must find a way to clear her mother's name.

Lydia and her family speak the Appalachian dialect, and the rich traditions and culture West Virginians are examined in the day to day life of the characters. Marilyn Sue Shank, the author of Child of the Mountains, is a West Virginia native and includes an Author's Note about her heritage and the history of the rural coal mining towns of her home state.

Lydia is a character with a story to tell. I simply fell in love with her. I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction over the age of ten. Her story can be appreciated by anyone, but I hope that Lydia is discovered by girls, young and old, who can connect with her beautiful spirit and unwavering loyalty.

Blog you later!

Ali B.