Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Simply, Moon Over Manifest is the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker moving to Manifest, Kansas during the summer of 1936.  Abilene has been living on the road with her father, Gideon, riding the rails during the Great Depression.  Now Gideon has decided that it would be better for her to live a more stable life, even if it means being away from him, back in his hometown while he works a railroad job in Des Moines.  

But Moon Over Manifest cannot be described in one simple paragraph.  One story is layered upon another until author Clare Vanderpool has spun enough yarn to keep readers busy trying to connect the seemingly loose ends.  Consider this:

• While in Manifest, Abilene tries to learn the story of her father’s younger days growing up in town.
• Abilene discovers a box of treasures containing several trinkets (a fishing lure, silver dollar, skeleton key, cork) and a number of letters.  Another story develops within those letters.
• Another story is told by Miss Sadie, a diviner, as Abilene comes to work for her during the summer.  Abilene is introduced to Jinx and Ned, two residents of 1918 Manifest.
• Abilene and two friends, Lettie and Ruthanne discover and investigate the Rattler, a Manifest legend, ignoring the warning that appears in the tree house, Fort Treeconderoga.
• The story of Manifest’s history is given in part by Miss Sadie in addition to Hattie Mae Harper’s newspaper articles.

And I’m not even sure that’s it.  Honestly.  Moon Over Manifest demands a second read.  Just looking back to double check facts I’ve already noticed two or three clues laid out in early chapters.  

Remember how Holes had Stanley’s story at Camp Green Lake, Stanley’s personal history, the story of Madam Zeroni and Stanley’s no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, and the doomed romance of schoolteacher Katherine Barlow and Sam the Onion Man?  Remember how they all come together seamlessly at the end?  (Sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.)

Or remember Walk Two Moons?  There was Sal’s journey across America with her grandparents, Sal’s family history in Kentucky, and the story Phoebe Winterbottom, Margaret Cadaver, and the potential lunatic.  Again, three yarns knit seamlessly into one story tapestry with no loose ends.

Books like these with multiple story lines are some of my favorites, and Moon Over Manifest ranks right up there.  Readers will be kept guessing, at times sure they’ve got it figured out while a chapter later re-evaluating their previously drawn conclusions.  In the end readers will want to race forward to see the spectacular conclusion.

Then readers can turn back to page one and slowly savor the story a second time.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

The cover of Interrupting Chicken pretty much explains the story.  Papa is ready to read the little red chicken a bedtime story, yet even on the book’s cover, the little red chicken doesn’t allow readers to get to author David Ezra Stein’s name before interrupting.

Even though she promises Papa that she won’t interrupt that evening’s stories - “Oh no, Papa.  I’ll be good.” - the little red chicken just can’t resist.  Papa’s first story is Hansel and Gretel.  After the children find the house made of candy and the old woman invites them to come inside, just before they follow her ...

“Out jumped a little red chicken, and she said, ‘DON’T GO IN!  SHE’S A WITCH!’  So Hansel and Gretel didn’t.  THE END!”

Whoops.  Papa reminds little red chicken not to get so involved in the story, to relax so she can fall asleep.  The next story is Little Red Riding Hood.  Just as Red is about to respond to the stranger she meets in the woods on the path to Grandma’s house … well, you can guess what happens.  Papa tries Chicken Little, again with predictable results.  The little red chicken prevents a sky-is-falling panic by announcing it was only an acorn.

And with that, Papa is out of stories.  He suggests that the little red chicken tell him a bedtime story instead.

She agrees and chooses one of her own stories, Bedtime for Papa by CHiKn.  Then, wouldn’t you know it, just as the story gets rolling, another interruption.  This time it’s Papa doing the interrupting, but for a totally different reason.

Interrupting Chicken won a 2011 Caldecott Honor for its illustrations.  I’m not much of an art critic - enough of one, maybe, to say that these are bold illustrations and that I like the added touches of candy spilling out from beneath the pages of Hansel and Gretel and the crayon artwork of the little red chicken’s story - so I’m not really qualified to comment on pictures.  But I do feel comfortable recommending the book for young readers.  It’s laugh-out-loud funny, especially when the reader puts the proper excitement into the little red chicken’s interruptions.

Snow! Let's Go Outside to Play!

We're at the height of winter here in Wisconsin.  There's been snow on the ground for two months and three more months of snow are still coming ... and it's snowing right now as I type this introduction.  It's getting to that point of the school year when students and teachers start thinking about the possibility of a snow day.  I ain't sayin'.  I'm just sayin'.

And that means going outside to play.  To everyone who lives in a similar climate, my latest newspaper column will be preaching to the choir.  But for those of you who live where sandals never get stored away and dressing warm means taking a sweatshirt "just in case," this might be an educational article.

Either way, I hope you enjoy it.  Here's the original on the newspaper's site, and here's the printable version.

Getting ready to play outside in the winter is a unique childhood event.  Yes, grown-ups still play outside, but to adults, getting ready is just a necessary step.  To kids, getting ready is an experience unto itself.

Every generation shares this experience, but today’s collection of pint-sized Arctic explorers benefits from twenty-first century technological advancements.

Have you seen the equipment kids are wearing outside these days?  It’s more than plain old winter clothes.  This stuff is micro-fleeced, moisture-wicking, overlapping, synthetic creations from genius designers who remember, as children, sacrificing personal warmth at the altar of frozen fun.

In my day jackets were purchased to fit.  “Stand up,” Mom would say.  “Put your arms down.  Stand normal.  Let me check those sleeves.  Yes, good.  Right where they need to be.”  Gloves, or mittens more accurately, were knit by Grandma to fit.  Cover the hand, cuff at the wrist, good to go.

Then the moment you started digging in the snow, the sleeves slipped up, the mittens slipped down, and your exposed wrists entered the first stages of frostbite.

Today kids are wearing gloves that nearly reach their elbows with snow-stopping buckles and Velcro straps.  Jacket sleeves have an under layer designed to go inside the glove complete with a thumb hole to keep it from riding up.  We had shirts with long sleeves.  You’d bunch the cuff in your hand then try to put on your jacket with clenched fists.

Today’s kids have boots with super-grip soles and elastic ties and laces and more Velcro straps.  They’re slip-proof, cold-proof, snow-proof and water-proof.  

My boots weren’t slip-proof as much as they were slip-ready.  You’d zoom across any patch of ice, snow or wet pavement.  Their insulation was called another pair of socks.  And because, like the jacket, the boots were purchased to fit, extra socks packed your toes tighter than then snow in Frosty’s bottom layer.  Water proofing came from empty bread bags around each foot.  Not exactly moisture-wicking.

Today’s snow pants also have two layers, one inside the boot to the ankle and a second over the boot to the heel.  No way snow gets inside.  My snow pants welcomed snow like Vegas welcomes tourists.  Boots never stayed tucked, and the exposed inch of skin above the boot quickly matched your frostbitten wrists.  

Yet the more things change, the more they stay the same.  The equipment may be updated, but the process remains tried and true.

Sit down.  Put on boots.

Stand up.  Put on jacket.  Grab snow pants.

Sit down. Take off boots.  Start to put on snow pants.

Stand up.  Take off jacket.  Buckle shoulder straps of snow pants.

Sit down.  Put on boots.

Stand up.  Put on jacket.  Zip.

Put on gloves.  Grab hat.

Take off gloves.  Put on hat.

Put on gloves.  Find Mom.  Ask her to tuck the gloves under the jacket sleeves.

(Alternatively, some children prefer to put on gloves before jacket resulting in perfectly tucked gloves.  These children still need Mom to zip.)

And hey, would you look at that?  It’s snowing.  Time to go outside aqznmd p;l.asjyuh.

Right.  Sorry.  Got a little excited there.  I need to finish the article before I put on my mittens.

Then it’ll be time to go outside and play.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

Amos McGee is a responsible man, rising early every morning.  He always wears a fresh-pressed uniform, eats his sensible breakfast, and takes the 6 a.m. bus to work at the zoo.  Amos McGee appears to be a man content with his life as well.  Even as the city has grown up around him, he continues to live in the same modest house, now sandwiched between high rise apartments.

Every day at work Amos McGee makes time for his friends.  He plays chess with the elephant, who is very thoughtful.  He races the tortoise, a tough competitor.  The penguin is shy, but Amos sits with him.  He always has a hanky for rhinoceros’s runny nose.  And at the end of the day he shares a storybook with owl, who doesn’t like the dark.

So what happens when the routine changes?  “One day Amos awoke with the sniffles, and the sneezes, and the chills.”  What happens if all the animals wait for their friend, Amos, but he never arrives?  They do what friends do, of course.

They go to him.  There are games and runny noses and quiet visits and contests and stories and even a pot of tea.  All on A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

The 2011 Caldecott Medal winner was illustrated by Erin E. Stead using woodblock printing and pencil.  Minimal color is used creating a look and mood to match the quiet, contemplative story.  The story, while featuring an older gentleman and zoo animals, could easily be used in classrooms to discuss friendship.  Despite their differences Amos McGee and the animals not only share time together as friends, but they do for one another as friends do.

2011 Geisel Award - Some Initial Thoughts

The Newbery and Caldecott Awards might get the lion's share of the attention when ALA announces its awards, but the Geisel Award for "the most distinguished American book for beginning readers" is one that Help Readers Love Reading anticipates just as much each year.  And in 2011 the Geisel Medal and Honor books are...

Geisel Honor Books

We Are In a Book by Mo Willems - This is the only Elephant and Piggie book not in my personal collection. This will soon be rectified.  It's not that I didn't think it was worthy of inclusion in the collection or anything, I just ... well ... ah, heck.  I forgot.  By the way, how long should an author dominate an award (see here and here) before his name is added to the award?  That's 3 of 4 years!  The Mo Geisel Award?  The Geisel Mo-mento?

Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin - A Newbery Honor in 2010 and a Geisel Honor in 2011 for Grace Lin.  If Ling and Ting is as good as Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, then this award is well deserved. 

Geisel Medal Winner

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Allison McGee - Can't wait to announce this one to the second and third graders who heard Bink and Gollie read aloud earlier this year.  They loved it and will be thrilled to know that the grown-ups loved it too.

2011 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books - Some Initial Thoughts

Yesterday the ALA announced the winners of the Randalph Caldecott Award, given to "the most distinguished American picture book for children."  I offered some initial thoughts on the Newbery winners, and here are my first reactions to the 2011 Caldecott Medal winner and Honor Books.

Caldecott Honor Books

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein - In a word, "Woo-Hoo!"  Unless that's two words.  Either way the Help Readers Love Reading household, especially the resident eight-year-old, was thrilled when Interrupting Chicken was announced.  A funny bedtime story where the wrong character ends up in dreamland.

Dave, The Potter by Laban Carrick Hill - I'm unfamiliar with this book, but from the little I've seen online, Bryan Collier's illustrations look deep, rich, and deserving of recognition.  I'm excited to see the whole thing.

Caldecott Medal Winner

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead - I've seen this one tossed around in various mock discussions, but I haven't read it.  The cover features an elephant, penguin, old man in pajamas, and a mouse holding a helium balloon, all playing cards.  What's not to like?  Kindly please hurry up, library processing system, so's I can read it myself.  Thanks.

2011 Newbery Medal and Honor Books - Some Initial Thoughts

The 2011 Newbery Medal was awarded this morning along with four Honor books.  Here are this year's most distinguished contributions to American literature for children and, after digging up some details online, here are my initial reactions.

Newbery Honor Books

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm - I'm all for any book set in Key West as well as books with "smart and tough" girl main characters who hang out with "ragtag boy cousins."  I'm looking forward to reading this one.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia - The initial description of sisters sent to live with the mother who abandoned them doesn't make me overly eager to read it.  Reviews say funny (+1), heartbreaking (-1), and unforgettable (+1).  That's a +1 overall, with an added "Crazy" in the title, so I guess I'll read it. 

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus - An American ship rescues the crew of a shipwrecked Japanese fishing boat.  The main character learns American culture, pans for gold in California, and returns to Japan unwelcome as an outsider.  Seems like plenty of action.

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman - Sidman's book Red Sings From Treetops won a Caldecott Honor last year, and this year she wins a Newbery Honor, but my favorite is still This Is Just to Say.

Newbery Medal Winner

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool - From clarevanderpool.com: "Abilene and her friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, embark on an honest to goodness spyhunt that ends up with someone leaving a note on their treehouse cautioning them to Leave Well Enough Alone.  But Abilene sets caution aside when she ventures down the mysterious Path to Perdition and ends up at Miss Sadie's Divining Parlor."  Best of all, it seems to be a Newbery surprise.  I hope both my Amazon order and library hold were placed quick enough to get the book shortly.

I haven't read any of them, but then again, this year I hadn't made much of an effort to do so.  (Although One Crazy Summer is on my to-be-read pile.)  I did follow the pre-award buzz online and noticed that a number of titles receiving a lot of attention were left off the list.  Maybe there were some snubs, maybe not, but I do know I like surprises.  

And based on my recollection, Moon Over Manifest qualifies as a surprise.

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

To young couples considering starting a family, it might be a warning.  To expectant parents, it could be a frank look at imminent family changes.  To already-been-there parents, it’s preaching to the choir.  To grandparents, it’ll bring about giggles.  And to kids it will cause laughter and demands for rereads.  

But no matter the reader, The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee will definitely be enjoyed.

Make no mistake, the moment the baby arrives at the house, he immediately becomes the boss.  Mom and Dad are put on a round the clock schedule, demands are made, expectations are set, and if certain adults don’t toe the line, watch out.  The boss has a fit.  And believe it or not, words are never spoken.  No verbal directions are ever given, but that doesn’t prevent the baby from getting what he wants.  Always.  Until...

One day, suddenly, “his staff did not respond.”  The boss had worked Mom and Dad to their limit, and none of his usual methods for getting what he wanted could rouse them from their midday slumber.  A new tactic was necessary.  Some out-of-the-box thinking was needed from company leadership, and the idea he settled upon produces amazing results.

The Boss Baby takes a unique look the effect a new member can have on the family.  Everything mentioned is exactly right.  Babies make demands, everyone’s schedule becomes the baby’s schedule, and baby supplies take over the house.  But when the new baby is wearing a suit and tie, it becomes ever more apparent who the boss actually is.

Subsequent readings and closer analysis of Marla Frazee’s illustrations will bring even more appreciation of the book.  Think about a boss of a major company.  Bosses have their own lounge, spa, executive gym, made to order drinks, and a private jet.  So does the baby in his own baby way.  The plastic tub in the sink is the spa.  Play sets become the executive gym.  The private jet swings through and open doorway and is connected to the frame.  No perk is excluded for this boss.

No matter who the reader, The Boss Baby (both the book and actual babies snuggled up for reading time) will be loved.

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

Ah, kids.  If ever anyone starts to think they know what they’re talking about when it comes to children, be sure to test that knowledge with real, live, actual children.  The little rascals will put you squarely back in your place.

I’ve been a fan of Peter Brown’s books for a while and have reviewed several here: Chowder, The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder, and The Curious Garden.  My first impression of Children Make Terrible Pets was cute and creative, unique pictures, nice switcheroo on a well known childhood theme, but not on the same level as the previously mentioned books.

Then I read the story of Lucy, the pink tutu-wearing bear who finds a critter in the woods, names him Squeaker, and takes him home to her mom begging to keep him as a pet aloud to a group of second and third graders.  Laughter.  Roars!  Pointing fingers and “Look at that!”  Groans and “Ooohhh noooo!” at the surprise ending - sort of like when the Pigeon sees a semi at the end of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

A new Peter Brown book not on the same level as his other books?  Bah!  Foolish grown-up, trusting his own wisdom.

When Lucy finds “the cutest little critter” in the woods, she takes the young, rosy-cheeked boy home and begs to keep him as a pet. And as many parents do, her mom hesitantly agrees, but only on one condition: “Squeaker is YOUR responsibility.  I will not take care of him for you.”

Lucy played with Squeaker.  They ate together, napped together, did everything together.  However, Squeaker was impossible to potty train, destroyed his share of the furniture, and threw food at tea parties.  When Lucy thinks it can’t get any worse, it does.  Squeaker disappears.  

When Squeaker’s hiding place is discovered, Lucy also discovers that what she thinks is best for her - having an awesome pet - may not be the best for the pet.  Lucy is forced to make a tough decision based on what’s best for Squeaker.

So can I change my opinion?  Can I say that I loved the book from the start and knew it would be a hit with kids?  No?  Then I’ll just share my new-found appreciation of the book now that I know how much kids like it, acknowledge that first impressions ain’t always right, keep the beginning of this review honest, and give the book a well deserved recommendation.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid introduces readers to Carter and Sadie Kane.  Fourteen-year-old Carter is home-schooled by his professor father as they travel the world studying ancient Egypt.  His sister, twelve-year-old Sadie, lives in London with her maternal grandparents.  Carter and Sadie see each other two days a year, one visitation day in both winter and summer.  The book begins on Christmas Eve, winter visitation day, as Carter and his father arrive late to see Sadie.  Dr. Julius Kane has arranged a Christmas visit to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum.

Readers, and the Kane siblings, quickly realize that there’s more to Julius Kane than an advanced Egyptian education when their visit to the museum ends with an explosion, magical appearances, a fiery man making threats, and their father trapped inside a sarcophagus.  Later they learn that their father’s actions at the museum have released five ancient gods, two of which have taken up temporary residence inside Carter and Sadie.

The next 500 pages are mostly a sprint from death-defying explosions to attacks by mythical creatures to trips to the land of the dead to a run-in with an evil Elvis jumpsuit.  (Really, no kidding.)  Along the way are numerous lessons on ancient Egypt.  There are pharaohs and gods, legends and rules, and magical methods transportation.  Carter knows bits and pieces from traveling with his father, but Sadie learns at the same pace as readers do - only as other characters explain the details to the Kane siblings.

I’m torn on which direction this review should go, so rather than pick a side (while relaxing on Christmas vacation, no less), I’m going to stay right here comfortably riding the fence, give both sides, and let readers decide.

I have three (and a half) concerns with the first book of Rick Riordan’s new Kane Chronicles series:

1. At 516 pages, it is unnecessarily long.
2. My lack of background knowledge on ancient Egypt had me trying to keep all the gods and legends and rules straight rather than focus on the main characters’ and plot’s development.  At least with The Lightning Thief I had some knowledge of Greek mythology to draw from.
3. It was easy to miss the changes in narrators between Carter and Sadie every couple chapters.
4. (only half a concern) It requires readers to suspend their disbelief more than the average fantasy novel, but that’s less of a problem with young readers who are generally more eager to do so than grown-ups.

Now, a number of my students have read The Red Pyramid, and based on my observations and conferences with them, here’s how my concerns have translated to young readers:

1. Doesn't matter.  More of a good thing.
2. Doesn't matter.  Most kids have little knowledge of Greek mythology, too.
3. Doesn't matter.  Kids apparently pay more attention to chapter headings.
4. Doesn't matter.  Suspension of disbelief.  Not a problem.

I’m pretty sure I would have recommended this book to students regardless of my personal feelings.  The Red Pyramid moves at an incredible pace with each chapter offering readers another hair-raising adventure and there’s magic and battles galore.  Rick Riordan knows the formula to keep readers reading.  High action, flying-fast pace, amazing escapes, brave battles, and a sequel to come.

Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye by Colleen AF Venable

Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye is a new graphic novel series that focuses on events in Mr. Venezi’s Pets & Stuff.  Mr. Venezi might run a great pet shop, but young readers will laugh at how he mixes up his animals.  Right in the beginning of book #1 there are mice and a turtle in a cage labeled “Walruses” and there’s a goldfish in a rabbit’s water bottle in a cage labeled “Three-Toed Sloth."

In the first book, Hamster and Cheese, someone is stealing Mr. Venezi’s sandwich.  Now stick with me here - the hamsters, who think they are koalas, are worried because Mr. Venezi thinks they are stealing his lunch.  If it happens again, he’s getting rid of all the koalas.  So, logically enough, the hamsters are worried.  Now Hamisher the Koala … err, Hamisher the Hamster wants to hire Sasspants the Guinea Pig to solve the mystery.

Why Sasspants?  The G from her correctly labeled cage has mysteriously disappeared, leaving Guinea PI, as in Private Investigator.

The mystery unfolds with numerous suspects, a nearly purchased chinchilla, and some not-so-trustworthy goldfish eye witnesses.

In the second book of the series, And Then There Were Gnomes, a ghost is suspected in the pet shop, and both Hamisher and Mr. Venezi have their evidence.  When the mice start disappearing, there really is a mystery, ghost or no ghost, and Sasspants, Pet Shop PI is on the case.

Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye is a great new graphic novel series for readers ready to try out graphic novels for the first time and readers who have enjoyed books like Otto’s Orange Day and Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever from Toon Books.  Hamster and Cheese, And Then There Were Gnomes, and the third book, The Ferret’s a Foot, will move quickly off the shelves of school and primary grade classroom libraries.

New Christmas Newspaper Column

Isn't it easy to get sidetracked during the Christmas season?  Even with all the music and Christmas cards and Peace On Earth, Good Will To Men?  That's sort of the subject of my latest newspaper column.  Sometimes the message we need to hear, the one to get us focused back on more important things, has been in our ears all along.  We just need to listen.

Thanks for reading.  Here's my latest article.

No Christmas music until November 1.  That’s a family rule.  Unless it snows, of course.  Then all bets are off, all sanctions on Saint Nicholas end, and the family is free to rock around the Christmas tree at will.

For two months Christmas songs become the soundtrack of our family’s daily life, but within days their message fades into the background.  The music is playing, but any number of Jingle Bells may ring or Herald Angels sing, and at best I’m humming half a chorus every third song.

Still we add to the family Christmas music library.  In November, 2009 we bought “Give This Christmas Away” by Matthew West and Amy Grant.  Imagine my surprise when the calendar flipped to December 2010, and I finally heard the song.

Now I’d listened to it a bunch.  Even sang along.  But it took a year before I finally heard it.

“Give This Christmas Away.”  Really?

The song was written by Matthew West for a children’s Christmas movie.  The video features children around the world opening Christmas gifts from an international charity.  The gifts are simple - books, balls, teddy bears - but the children’s faces radiate pure joy.

Those simple gifts cause children to run and smile and cheer.  Mouths drop open in amazement.  Little hands clasp boxes as if they hold the world’s greatest treasure.  One boy in oversized sunglasses tosses a soccer ball repeatedly, the shininess of the new ball exceeded only by the brightness of his smile.

“That’s it?” I thought.  All that joy from those simple gifts? There are five beat-up soccer balls in our garage causing very little joy at this moment, but one new ball can make a boy bounce like he’s never seen a new ball before?

Maybe he hasn’t.

So, yeah, it took me a year to hear the song.  But now I’m wondering.  What it?

What if, this Christmas, we all decided, simply, to give?

What if we all donated outgrown winter clothes to a Keep Kids Warm campaign or provided one toy for Toys for Tots?  What if we all took one angel off the Angel Tree and bought a gift for a child in need or bought one prepackaged bag of food at the grocery store for the local food pantry?

And we’re all allotted the same 24 hours in a day.  What if we give some of that away?

Shortly after we moved into a new house I came home grumbling about the time I would have to waste that evening shoveling the recent snowfall.  We arrived home to a clean driveway, cleared by a mystery neighbor.  The time I'd “waste” shoveling was suddenly back into my evening schedule, but then I ended up outside anyway, with a neighbor, shoveling someone else’s driveway.

Giving is contagious, apparently.

Make a meal for another family.  Provide the neighborhood kids with hot chocolate on the next snow day.  Present an elderly neighbor with a tray of Christmas goodies or offer them a ride to church or the grocery store.

The song says, “Your life will be changed by the gifts you receive when you give this Christmas away.”

Giving can changes lives.  Maybe even your own.

Merry Christmas.

For more information about the song and artist, including the video, please visit Help Readers Too.

How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Vordak the Incomprehensible

I was immediately intrigued by How to Grow Up and Rule the World, as growing up to rule the world is the ambition of numerous youngsters.  As an educator, I feel it is my role to nurture my students' ambitions and encourage children in whatever career path they might choose.  I hoped that Vordak the Incomprehensible would prove to be Vordak the Invaluable as a resource for students showing evil tendencies.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is some excellent information here about evil lairs, evil organizations, minions, instruments of evil, and diabolically clever yet extremely slow-acting death traps.  But the more I read, the more questions arose.  So I decided to use my Twitter account to contact Vordak directly via his Twitter account.  Here is our correspondence, with occasional commentary and added information.

Reasonable enough.  I have a very similar memories.  (But I still can't find it on the map.)

Again, very reasonable.  Ice fishing is pretty big in these parts.

The links aren't live in these Twitter screenshots, but the information I referenced above is about a Wisconsin gentleman who survived a plane crash thanks to his cheesehead.  See for yourself here.

Oh, oh.  I didn't mean to aggravate a supervillain, but in the quest for literary truth and justice, I forged ahead.

I may be confused (or maybe not), but either Vordak is brave or he's nuts.  What's the word for "evil bravery" or "evilly brave"?

Well, Vordak is certainly confident in his encyclopedic knowledge of evil, and if he isn't going to rule the world on his own, he's certain to ride another evildoer's coattails.

Trustworthy and humble.  See for yourself at Vordak's blog.  I figured it was about time to wrap up our conversation.  It has stretched out over a week, and annoying a supervillain isn't high on anyone's to-do list, when ...

Right.  A few hundred suspects.  Put the most suspicious in a lineup and all that would fit in the room behind the mirrored glass would be Vordak and his helmet.  Seems my suspicions of annoying a supervillain were right on.  It was time to wrap it up.

And with that, the absolutely, positively, highest recommendation ever given to a book [whose author has launched thinly-veiled threats in my direction] on this website goes to How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Vordak the Incomprehensible!

Here There Be Monsters by HP Newquist

Before we begin, two quick thoughts:

1. At first glance, the cover of Here There Be Monsters led me to believe this was one of those fantastical nonfiction books that tell magical travelers how to avoid dragons, trolls, and ogres, complete with ornate maps and directions written in rhyming couplets.  It’s not.

2. Here There Be Monsters is just regular ole’ nonfiction, and generally, I dislike nonfiction.  That being said, I have been known - only on occasion, mind you - to read and enjoy regular ole’ nonfiction.  This is one of those occasions.

The full title is Here There Be Monsters: The Legendary Kraken and the Giant Squid.  The prologue begins by asking the reader, a school-aged youngster, to imagine being the late-night lookout on a ship.  You are suddenly drawn out of your drowsiness by a violent thump against the ship.  Then another.  You investigate and discover a giant eye peering at you from the depths, then arms and tentacles covered with suckers and claws groping the ship’s deck.  Eventually you and the crew fight off the monster and save the ship.

When you return to land, your story is dismissed as fantasy.  No one believes you.

Author HP Newquist goes on to explain that these legends, while many times exaggerated in the telling, were indeed based on the truth.  He details the names of scientists, their discoveries, and how each bit of information they learned invariably led to more questions.  One chapter outlines the events of 1870-1880, when there were dozens of sightings and numerous specimens that washed up on the world’s beaches.  Later he details similar events ninety years later during the 1960s.

Newquist does a great job of only giving readers the information scientists discovered as he recounts historical events.  It’s history on fast forward.  Instead of 500 years of scientific discoveries, readers get all 500 years in one book.  There’s anticipation as to what the next discovery will be without the decades of waiting.

As readers learn more about the giant and colossal squids (yes, they are two distinct animals), they are also presented with the fictional accounts that helped grow the legend of the kraken, novels like Moby Dick, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Peter Benchley’s Beast as well as movies like Disney’s adaptations of 20,000 Leagues and Pirates of the Caribbean.

All of this - the history, scientists, specimens, legends, and stories - are integrated nicely for an informational yet enjoyable read.  Rather than reading to learn more, I found myself reading to find out what the next discovery would be.  Would the mystery of the kraken / giant squid be solved?  Turns out it’s a mystery still being solved today.