So in honor of the new Harry Potter Movie we are selling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book seven) for $8.99! That is the hardcover at the paperback price! If you start reading it now, you’ll have it done by the time the new movie comes out next year and totally be in the know. ….all the cool kids are doing it….

The Underneath by Kathi Applet, the 2009 Newberry Honor book, is the story of an old hound dog and a little kitten and their experiences in the bayou.  The unlikely pairing and resulting friendship is an enchanting relationship.  The bond helps them through their adversities to conquer the evil lurking in the swamp lands. 

Gar-Face, the owner of Ranger the hound dog, is a truly terrifying man.  When I first started reading I was startled by the darkness of his character.  Gar-Face takes extreme pleasure from the suffering of other living creatures.  And so it is often that the reader fears for the dog and cat because they live on Gar-Face’s property.  But they have a safe haven in the Underneath, the small area under the house where Gar-Face cannot go.  If animals are loose in the yard, then Gar-Face makes sure to catch them to use them as alligator bait. 

Also lurking in the bayou are evil alligators and restless spirits.  The Underneath includes a love story between two Native Americans, in the time before white settlers arrived in the South.  As that narrative unfolds, it becomes more and more intertwined with that of Ranger and his kitten companion and their fates rest with that of the young Indian couple. 

For animal lovers everywhere, The Underneath is a testament to the faithfulness and courage of animals.  I love how all creatures are personified in this book.  Applet does a great job of contrasting good and bad characters through their actions and motivations.  Additionally, The Underneath does a great job explaining evil to a young audience while still celebrating all that is beautiful in difficult situations.  This novel is perfect for kids 10 to 14.

For a great summer read, try The Mysterious Benedict Societyby Trenton Lee Stewart.  It’s an easy read because of it’s entertainment and adventure.  It is also the right length: just long enough to continue to enjoy it for several days while not being a giant book no one could get through.  What I love most about this story are the child heroes  and the steadfast faith of the adults in our heroes.

This novel begins with an examination to find kids who will be the Mysterious Benedict Society’s newest recruits.  Only four kids successfully pass the series of tests and enter the Society.  As it turns out the Mysterious Benedict Society is a secret agency out to destroy a very evil man named Mr Curtain and his minions who are out to take over the world through chaos and confusion.  The children are asked to put themselves at extreme peril by becoming spies to infiltrate the bad guys. 

Mr. Curtain runs the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened that claims to re-educate kids to make them better functioning adults.  In reality it is an institute that brain-washes all its students so that they may become Mr. Curtain’s army.  The children of the Mysterious Benedict Society enter the Institute as students in order to take out Mr. Curtain and his army.  Located on an isolated island, the kids must fight all by themselves and must work together and utilize each others’ strengths and weaknesses to save the day.  The story that ensues is one of narrow escapes and close encounters as the kids work their way through the evil organization and destroy Mr. Curtain.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Mysterious Benedict Society.  I thought it well written because it possesses all the great elements of storytelling.  It has unlikely heroes, a truly bad guy, and a great conspiracy theory.  Additionally, I love that the adults in the Society are fully aware of what they are asking of the children.  They openly admit that if the adults could take out the Institute, they would.  And because they are asking for such dangerous actions the adults have a wonderful amount of faith in the kids and their abilities.  The adults are strong people who display courage and strength, thus making The Mysterious Benedict Society singular in its treatment of adult characters.

This book is perfect for ages 10 and up for those who read on their own.  For those who need help reading, it makes a great story time book as well.

Trenton Lee Stewart has also written a sequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society!  The second book in this series is called The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.  In this latest addition, Mr. Benedict, head of the Mysterious Benedict Society, gets kidnapped and the kids must follow his clues all over the world in order to save him.  Once again, the kids work together as a team to save Mr. Benedict.  Their adventures abroad are typical of the Society’s escapades, making it yet another enjoyable summer read.

News! Stewart is coming out with a third book for the Mysterious Benedict Society called The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma.  It comes out October 6th, 2009 and you can call us today to reserve your copy!  Have a great summer!

I am deviating from my usual review of a young adult book this week.  This week I must give high praise to Lemony Snicket and his newest story The Composer Is Dead.  Not only has Mr. Snicket surprised me with his knowledge of the orchestra and famous composers but the illustrations are fabulously full of character.  I have also listened to the included CD and it is marvelous as well.  And I am rather surprised that Lemony Snicket has come out of obscurity to narrate the story himself! (It is rather out of character for Mr. Snicket to perform such a public service).

As someone who once was in the orchestra herself, I really appreciate a story that explores the world of classical music.  The story explains each section, instrument by instrument in a manner that is informative (and full of funny orchestra jokes and allusions).  The story centers around an inspector’s investigation of a murder: the composer’s.  In the process the inspector finds alibis for all the usual suspects, except for the conductor.

“Of course,” said the Inspector, “the Conductor! You’ve been murdering composers for years!  In fact, wherever there’s a conductor, you’re sure to find a dead composer!”

But to discover who the murder is and how the orchestra deals with the result, you’re going to have to buy the book and find out for yourself!

This past weekend, we at Clothes Pony and Dandelion Toys had a huge book event where local famous authors came to share their stories!  We had Lauren Myracle, Ingrid Law the author of Saavy (see the book review blog here!), Mark Hoog, Nathan Kumar Scott, and Theresa Funke.  It was so cool to meet these nationally acclaimed authors who live right here in Fort Collins! 

Lauren Myracle read an excerpt from her book Eleven which is a story about Winnie and her experiences as an eleven year-old.  Winnie’s biggest adjustment comes from her changing friendships.  Her best friend Amanda is changing and Winnie is having a hard time adapting.  Amanda is now into boys and being noticed whereas Winnie just want things to stay the same.  She wants Amanda to not be weird about playing elaborate imaginative games.  In addition, Winnie has a growing relationship with Dinah.  Dinah is a sweet girl who is young for her age (she still collects kitten stickers and smells a little like a strawberry pop-tart) but Winnie is learning to enjoy her company.  The resulting struggle comes from Winnie’s torn alliances.  Amanda doesn’t like Dinah because she is socially awkward but Winnie wants Dinah to feel comfortable.  The whole story is one we all remember: growing up and finding that things can’t always remain the same. 

When I was reading this book I found myself having sudden flashbacks from my own life.  I was shocked to remember some of those more embarrassing experiences.  I also had a friend named Amanda and she was much more mature than I at eleven.  And the same awkward moments that Winnie experiences with Amanda, I did too! (It was usually about boys; a topic that I didn’t really want to talk about, especially because I would end up using the word “cooties” and then get mercilessly made fun of).  The fact that Lauren Myracle could recall those stories was surprising.  Eleven clearly articulated what it is like to grow older and the frustrating tension one feels between childhood and young adulthood. 

Lauren Myracle has also written the next few years of Winnie’s life in Twelve and Thirteen.  And Lauren just told us that she is in the process of finishing Fourteen!  Myracle just won the Children’s Choice Book Award for her book Thirteen and we are so happy and proud for her.

The Higher Power of Luckyis the story of a young girl and her search of an actual mom.  Lucky is currently under the guardianship of Bridgette, a french native now living in Hard Pan, California.  Lucky recently lost her birth mom in an accident and must come to grips with her lack of a traditional family.  Bridgette is not the same as her birth mom, even though Bridgette sometimes does have some good qualities that could make for a good mother.  So, in honor of Mother’s Day, The Higher Power of Lucky is the perfect book because it celebrates all that is great about birth moms, guardians, and adopted parents.

Lucky is always prepared (she always carries around her survival kit) for emergencies and when she becomes convinced that Bridgette is headed back to France, Lucky is already prepared to run away.  If no one wants her, then Lucky will simply remove herself from Hard Pan.  In the process, Lucky learns that family is more than just your birth mom and sometimes your family is your entire community.

I love that each of Lucky’s friends are from non-traditional homes.  Lincoln, Lucky’s best-friend has only one mom and Miles, who’s five, is raised by his grandmother.  It is so wonderful to finally read a book that has strong mother characters who help the main character become herself.  Although the story is really about Lucky and her struggle with identifying family and finding peace with Bridgette being her adopted mom, it still is a sweet read.

Susan Patron has recently written a sequel the The Higher Power of Lucky! It is titled Lucky Breaks and is about Lucky’s quest to be loose and intrepid, now that she has turned eleven.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!  I hope you all are enjoying your Mama Earth and showing others how much you love Her.  In honor of Earth Day, A Week in the Woods celebrates the environment and how everyone of all ages can enjoy nature.

In Week in the Woods, fifth-grader Mark Chelmsley is the new kid in a small town in New Hampshire.  His family is rich (like half of a billion dollars) and Mark is basically killing time before he is shuttled off to boarding school.  He expects to take it easy and not make any friends in his short stay at Hardy Elementary.  What he doesn’t expect is to have any adventures.  Mark, who has lived in New York City, Paris, and San Fransisco, has never been in a landscape like New Hampshire before and all the nature around him compels him to explore the hills surrounding his house.  All his afternoon adventures not only bring out a passion for nature but also a sense of self.  So when he gets invited to A Week in the Woods with all the other fifth graders, he gets ready for some fun-filled nature activities.

Mr. Maxwell, Mark’s fifth grade science teacher has been leading A Week in the Woods for the past 16 years.  When Mark shows up, Mr. Maxwell is forced to overcome his distain for rich, un-environmentally friendly snobs and realize that Mark is not a part of that typical stereotype.  Of course, there are bumps along the way toward mending that relationship, but in the end, Mr. Maxwell and Mark realize their mutual love of nature and the need to help protect the environment. 

As a middle reader (not an easy reader and not quiet young adult liturature), I was impressed by the subtly of the character interactions.  Yet it was readable and so the characters and their roles were perfectly clear.  It is evident why Clements has been on the best seller lists and writer of multi-million copies.  His simplistic style is great for the kid who needs something easier to read while still being quality literature.  Week in the Woods an excellent book for kids to read, especially those who enjoy the outdoors and the environment. 

Other Andrew Clements Books:

• Lost and Found:  Tweve-year-old identical twins Jay and Ray have long resented that everyone treats them as one person, and so they hatch a plot to take advantage of a clearical error at their new school and pretend they are just one.
• The School Story: After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoe helps her devise a scheme to get it accepted at the publishing house where Natalie’s mother works as an editor.
• Lunch Money: Twelve-year-old Gred, who has always been good at moneymaking projects, is surprise to find himself teaming up with his lifelong rival, Maura, to create a series of comic books to sell at school.
• The Janitor’s Boy: Fifth grader Jack finds himself the target of ridicule at school when it becomes known that his father is one of the janitors, and he turns his anger onto his father.
• Frindle:  When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher’s love of the dictionarly around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new work and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Ingrid Law came to Fort Collins to do a book signing at Tavelli Elementary School and it only seems proper that I submit my own review of her novel Savvy. 

I found Savvyto be a great coming of age story that embraces the unique as part of life’s experiences.  The main character is Mibs, who is about to turn 13.  Her family is definitely the weird family of the neighborhood: at the age of 13, the Beaumont family receives an extra-special ability, known as their savvy.  Mibs’ brother Fish manipulates water and weather through his feelings, her other brother Rocket courses with electricity and Mib’s Mom does everything perfectly.  Mibs wishes for x-ray vision or the ability to fly but unfortunately, no one ever knows what their savvy will be.  No matter what, Mib’s birthday is sure to be exceptional.

Just before the big day, the Beaumonts get word that their father has been in a terrible car accident .  Mibs is not allowed to visit him yet and must wait but Mibs decides to take matters into her own hands.  She and her siblings stow away on a bus with some fellow neighborhood kids in an attempt to see their father.  Sadly, the bus heads in the wrong direction and Mibs must find a way to remedy the situation while keeping everyone safe as Mibs awaits to receive her savvy.

The story is a great example of accepting people for who they are.  Mibs must come to grips with her savvy and in the process she learns to accept others for their flaws.  It is unique that Mibs and her family have special abilities and so she must learn to be content with who she while still being able to sympathize with everyone else.  Ingrid Law is a superb example of children’s storytelling and the importance of celebrating uniqueness is paramount in her novel, Savvy.