OK, so I've been busy! 

I've got a long list of books to write about today. Since I was behind on the blogging already, it didn't help that I was internet-free all last week on a College Adventure camping trip. Just to clarify the "rules" I've set for myself this summer, I am reading a "book" a day--but that might include a picture book, a magazine, a graphic novel, etc. Also I often read a few shorter things on one day while I'm reading something longer at the same time.  So here goes again...

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder   

Of course I had to read one of the Little House books after reading The Wilder Life. It was lovely, as always. I wonder what my students would make of it. I think that what drew me the most in these books was Laura's sense of cozy satisfaction, having just enough and not needing anymore. I used to play "running away" on the landing of our stairs in the big house in Lee where I grew up, and it was all about choosing just the few things that would be "enough," and wrapping them up in a bundle I could carry. I have to admit that I'd like to take my students by the collar and say "Look! You can be happy without having all this modern stuff! You can make your own fun!" Judgmental, I know. For one thing, you need to have enough to eat first. 

All the Lovely Bad Ones  by Mary Downing Hahn (ISBN: 978-0-329-74655-1)

I read this one so that I could booktalk Hahn's books more effectively. I have a large collection of these ghost stories in the library, and they are very popular. For people my age, I guess you could compare them with Richard Peck's Blossom Culp books, such as Ghosts I Have Been, which I loved as a kid. In other words, it's creepy enough to raise goosebumps, straightforward enough to understand without too much work, the ghosts are real, and at least one kid has an extra sensitivity to the ghosts that helps (usually her) perceive them. That last bit was important to me, I remember. When you're around 9-11 years old, your brain starts telling you that there's more to life than the things you touch with your hands. But although you can feel this invisible world, you aren't ready to understand it.  It feels like an extra sense. Maybe it is. Maybe all kids that age are steeped in magic.

Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, pictures by Beth Krommes (ISBN: 978-0-547-31583-6)

A beautiful literary non-fiction book that illustrates the swirl shape in nature. The text is rhythmic, with the refrain "a spiral is a _____ shape" repeating throughout. The scratchboard illustrations, by the winner of the Caldecott for House in the Night are bold enough to "read" in a large group, but detailed enough to reward a closer examination by a single child. I'll combine this book with a drawing lesson, and/or maybe a math lesson for older kids.

Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld (ISBN 978-0-8050-8776-5)

Everything has a voice here--clouds, trees, animals, skyscrapers--they all talk to Cloudette as she journeys around being adorable but too small. This is a pretty standard "be true to yourself and keep trying" book. The little guy (cloud) wins in the end, of course. Cute, but undistinguished. Maybe the kids will show me why this book was chosen. 

My Big Backyard Magazine

Ranger Rick Magazine

These two National Wildlife Federation magazines have gotten a lot flimsier since the days when I read them. I'm trying to decide what magazines would be worth getting in the library this year. Even being thin, these are still notable for their beautiful animal photographs and lack of advertisements. I'll probably get them.

Kiki Magazine

This is kind of a cool magazine, but I'm not sure what audience it's really for. It's all about fashion and the fashion industry with a girl-power twist. I don't think it matches up with my kids that well, but I'll leave in on a table and see what they say.

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede (ISBN: 9780545033435)

My own kids and I loved Wrede's dragon books, starting with Dealing With Dragons, and early example of the twisted-fairytale genre that's been so popular in the past few years. This book is a steampunk-y twist on the exploration of the American frontier. This world is a mix of magical technology and 1860's technology. The main character is a strong girl, one of those "I seem to be less magical than everyone else, but really it's because I have some kind of extra-special other magic" kind of characters. I only realized after reading for a while that this is a second book in a series, which doesn't say much for the need for three books about this character instead of one. It was enjoyable enough, and a good match for a car camping trip, since it involves a journey.

The New York Times/The Christian Science Monitor

Rose quibbles, but I say that there are far more words in the New York Times than there are in a picture book. I put in two-for-one to make her happy.

Zoe Rising by Pam Conrad (ISBN 9780060272173)

I was heartbroken to find out, after reading the magical picture books about The Tub People to another group of second graders, that Pam Conrad had died young. There would never be any more Tub People books, nor any others. But I did go to my favorite out-of-print book source, Alibris, to find out if she had written anything else. I was surprised to learn that she had done several chapter books. One of them, Stonewords, was a terrific ghost story--a lot creepier than Mary Downing Hahn's books actually--and this book is a sequel to that. It's not so much ghost story as a supernatural story. I would have loved it as a teenager.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve (ISBN: 9780545222150)

The  ISBN above is for the paperback, but we listened to the audiobook in the car. First, Philip Reeve is a fantastic voice author, very unusual for a writer reading his own books. He does a bunch of different voices for his characters with different (English) accents and pitches. We were riveted. The story is great too. It's another steampunk-y book, this time in a future post-apocalyptic world. One of the brilliant ways that Reeve makes this world convincing, is the random bits of ancient language that the inhabitants cobble together to make new words. If I had the print book in front of me, I could find a good example, but the only one I can remember is that they use "blogger" to refer to someone that is a bit stupid. Ouch. The world is violent, dirty, superstitious. Fever Crumb is a strong girl character who doesn't fit well in this world because she has been trained as an "engineer," a scientist of the "old tech" who tries to figure out how these devices worked and re-invent them. This is the first in a three or four book series which is a prequel to another series by Reeve. Highly recommended.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

These next 3 books were purchased at the gift shop for the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York. This was the site of the first Convention to discuss the rights of women in 1848. 

 Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Graphic Library) by Connie Cowell Miller (ISBN 978-0-7368-6194-6)

This is not one of the best of these graphic history books that I have read. The conflict between Elizabeth Cady and her father is played up for dramatic effect. The tour guide at the park actually suggested that Mr. Cady encouraged his daughter's independence by giving her (illegally) title to a house and land. Still, I hope kids who like the other titles in the series will read this one.

Marching With Aunt Susan by Claire Rudolf Murphy (ISBN 978-1-56145-593-5)

This book uses the perspective of a young girl to illustrate the fight for women's suffrage, and introduces us to Susan B. Anthony. It is based on the letters and papers of the real Bessie Keith Pond, who lived in California in the late 1800's. It's a good introduction to the times, and should promote discussion.

Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone (ISBN 978-0-8050-7903-6)

This is another book about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, beginning with her girlhood, and ending with the Women's Rights Convention. It doesn't give the "end" of the story or talk about why it took another 75 years for women to get the right to vote, but again, it's a good introduction to the topic.