45. Clever Beatrice

Clever Beatrice
By Margaret Willey
Illustrated by Heather Solomon
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001

Genre
Fables

Awards

Parents' Choice Award (2001)

Charlotte Zolotow Award (2002)

Horn Book Fanfare Award (2001)

Review

Though the author admits, after explaining what a contes is, that she strays from the tradition telling of these folktales to cast a young and clever girl as the main character, readers can't help but be amused by the antics of Beatrice.  In order to get some money to help her mother keep food on the table, Beatrice ventures far into the woods to a giant known to be rich, hoping that he isn't very smart.  She makes bets with him to win his gold and indeed, wins his entire fortune by doing nothing but talk.  A humorous story that children will love, Clever Beatrice can be read over and over without losing its charm.

Ideas

This is great for a display about fables from different cultures, as well as for humorous books for children.  This would also be a great book to read to a class as they will likely find the giant to be dumb and silly.

44. Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood
By Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Poppy, 2011

Genre
Fairy Tale

Awards
None Known

Review
Inspired by the movie of the same name that was released later in 2011, Red Riding Hood has many things: romance, mystery, paranormal (werewolves), and fanatic religious zeal.  The young heroine, a tomboy apparently unaware of good looks everyone else seems to notice, finds the idea of falling in love alluring but confusing, wondering if there's even a point to it if you don't marry the one you love or you stop loving the one you marry.  Not long into the book though, there is not one, but two, love interests for this fickle teenage: the blast from the past "bad boy" and the son of the wealthy blacksmith.  The town has been in an uneasy peace with a werewolf who they give livestock sacrifices to at the full moon.  Heroine Valerie witnesses a sacrifice being taken by the wolf when she was a child and it forever changed her.  She later is accused of witchcraft and offered as bait for the wolf when the uneasy peace was broken when he killed Valerie's sister.  This book is enticing for those who particularly enjoy supernatural romance, but has disappointing follow through with flat characters, a capricious heroine, and an incomplete plot.

Opinion
I enjoyed the idea behind this book, though it is not unique.  However, Valerie soon wore my patience thin.  Though being indecisive is a human trait, it is very overplayed and makes her a frustrating character.  Aside from her struggle with love, mixed with her sudden desires to be eternally alone or chase the werewolf on her own, she has no depth.  There is also no depth to the two love interests and the other villagers are just as flat.  Seemingly the person with the most character is the religious fanatic that comes into the story about half-way through.  There is a difference between an ending that wraps many things up but leaves a full conclusion to the imagination and an ending that is carelessly written, leaving many loose ends; unfortunately this book ended sloppily.

Ideas
This book is a good suggestion for those who like books similar to the Twilight Saga and other supernatural romances, but mostly I would suggest recommending something else.

43. Hatchet

Hatchet
By Gary Paulsen
First Aladdin Paperbacks, 1987
Narrated by Peter Coyote

Genre
Survival Fiction

Awards

• Newbery Award (1988)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (1989)

Review
This classic story of survival finds Brian on a plane flying over the Canadian wilderness to visit his father after his parents' divorce.  The pilot suffers a heart attack during flight and the plane crashes, leaving Brian to fend for himself in an uninhabited forest with nothing but the hatchet his mother had given him before he left.  Brian survives many struggles, not the least of which is finding the motivation to keep living and trying to survive after he realizes he missed the first, and likely only, rescue plane to fly near his camp area.  A distressing tale about a boy alone in the woods is also extremely inspiring to young readers, showing the intensity of the human will to survive.

Opinion
This book was much more captivating than I thought it would be.  Peter Coyote did a great job narrating, bringing life to the scenery and Brian's emotions.  The book was repetitive at places; at first I found this annoying and it stood out to me more in audio form than if I had read it, but then it seemed to fall into a pattern, representing the thought patterns Brian was developing to survive.  There are some dark times in the book, like when Brian tries to cut his wrists in despair after missing the rescue plane, but this is quickly followed by a "new" Brian, resolute and determined to survive, pulling away from the darkness that he briefly explored.

Ideas
Great book for reluctant readers, especially young boys as they can identify with the main character.  Though it seems more intended for late elementary or middle school children, high school aged students can also enjoy this book, especially if they are behind in their reading level or for nostalgia's sake.

42. Smart Feller, Fart Smeller: And Other Spoonerisms

Smart Feller, Fart Smeller: And Other Spoonerisms
By Jon Agee
Michael Di Capua Books, 2006

Genre
Humor

Awards
None Known

Review
This book full of funny tongue-twisting word mix-ups that will make kids laugh.  An introduction explains what a "Spoonerism" is for those not lucky enough to have know this professor and the book closes with a translation of all the Spoonerisms for those who couldn't quite guess them all while reading.  These laughable verbal missteps are accompanied by pictures of just how ridiculous some of the things said would look ("What did the gardener say to her assistant? Please put this pants in their plots"), which just makes the phrases funnier.

Opinion
Younger tweens will definitely get a kick out of this book and likely memorize many of the sayings.  The pictures help to point out what the misspoken phrase is if the reader had difficulty guessing, but they can always check the back of the book for the answers! Hearing these saying, or reading them, may get old quickly, and some readers may be bored by the end of the book, but others will want to read it over and over.

Ideas
I think this would be a great book for an April Fool's Day display.  Even though it doesn't have practical jokes, the reader could challenge themselves to speak like the characters for the day.  Also a great addition to any humor collection, or just to read to a class for a laugh.

41. Lost and Found

Lost and Found
By Shaun Tan (mostly)
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011

Genre
Picture Book

Awards

• Ditmar Award: Best Artwork - The Lost Thing (2011)

Review

This book combines three stories: The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits.  All three were illustrated by Shaun Tan, but The Rabbits is written by John Marsden.  All of these stories are poignant reminders of times when we feel alone, out of place, or uncertain about where we belong and what our futures might look like.  All are memorably illustrated with beautiful use of color, some pages continuing the stories with just pictures.  Definitely intended for older tweens and teens, this book can still be appreciated by younger readers to an extent, though some words may be too difficult.

Opinion
The first story really hit me; it is a great description of feeling lost in the thralls of depression, mostly expressed through the art, which is sometimes the only way to express feelings like that.  The story of The Lost Thing was also moving, reminding me of how we categorize people and how we often stop seeing things that appear out of place, because we are too busy with something else to help.

Ideas

This is a good example of a picture book intended for an older audience and can be displayed as such.  It's a great way to show older tween and teen readers that if they see books that look like children's picture books, that's not always who they are intended for. 

40. Woolvs in the Sitee

Woolvs in the Sitee
By Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Anne Spudvilas
Front Street, 2006

Genre
Picture Book

Awards

• Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction (2006)
• Shortlist for ABPA Book Design Award: Picture Book Nominee (2007)
• Shortlist for CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award (2007)

Review
Set in an unknown situation, possibly an apocalypse, some kind of government with invasive surveillance, or even his own paranoid delusions, Ben hides from the "woolvs" in a basement.  He is alone, but for the woman upstairs; he tries to warn her about the "woolvs", but she doesn't believe him and he means the "luvlee wyld creechis, running in the woods", but it seems more likely they are people.  When this woman suddenly disappears, Ben decides to risk the outside dystopian world to find her.  The dark illustrations in watercolor and charcoal perfectly show this frightening world that Ben phonetically describes.  Though unsure of what is happening, this book entices the reader, wondering what may really be going on and hints at a much greater story that begs to be told after the last page.

Opinion
This was a unique book; though set in the familiar feel of a children's picture book, it is far more appropriate for the middle school or high school age group.  The artwork is beautiful and haunting, all of the book pushing the reader forward to discover what the "woolvs" are, only to be left wondering at its close.

Ideas
I think this would be a great project for an English class or Psychology class (if taking the idea of paranoid delusions): to read the book and have the class write about what the "woolvs" are and maybe even what happens next or what was really happening.

39. Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising
By Pam Muñzo Ryan
Narrated by Trini Alvarado
Scholastic, 2000

Genre
Historical Fiction

Awards

• Jane Addams Children's Book Awards for Book for Older Children (2000)
• Publisher's Weekly: Best Book (2000)
• Publisher's Weekly Starred Review (2000)
• Pura Belpré Award: Narrative (2002)

Review
Esperanza's life is about to change.  She has always been the daughter of a wealthy father who owned a lot of land on his Mexican ranch; she was used to having servants, pretty dresses, and porcelain dolls.  But when her father is killed, she and her mother are forced to run to the US to escape her corrupt uncles who now own the farm.  Here, Esperanza learns to work and to appreciate life around her for what it is, not what she has.  This is a beautiful story of a girl coming to terms with who she is and adjusting to new circumstances, doing what she must do in the face of adversity.  This story is set during the Mexican Repatriation in the US and not long after the Mexican Revolution.  A powerful story that speaks to readers about coming to terms with hardships beyond personal control and rising above them.

Opinion
This is a great story and can be inspiring to readers, especially those who can identify with the main characters due to heritage, personal loss, or other similarities.  Esperanza is a wonderful heroine that girls can look up to as a strong female role model.  I think this book is good for more advanced readers in later elementary school or the average middle school reader.

Ideas
Great for many different kinds of displays: historical fiction, Mexican-American history, multicultural history, etc.  This book would also be good for a unit on multicultural literature.

38. Frankenstein Takes the Cake

Frankenstein Takes the Cake
By Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books, 2008

Genre
Poetry

Awards

• Publisher's Weekly Starred Review (2008)

Review
Set up almost like a magazine with adds for Tofillager (villager shaped tofu for the vegetarian werewolf) and special buckets to help witches melt and look scarier, in addition to various sections about Edgar Allan Poe and the Headless Horseman, this hilarious poetry book will keep readers entertained for multiple readings.  Frankenstein also makes an appearance a few times to meet his fiance's parents, to help plan their wedding, and to actually attend his wedding (which turns into a disaster when a vampire is served garlic bread.  The various types of illustrations, some black and white, some colorful, some simulating photographs, and more, add variety and bring extra humor to the already humorous poems.

Opinions
This book was very funny and I can see tweens loving these poems about historically scary creatures now cast in a comical light.

Ideas
This book is great for a humorous book display, a Halloween arrangement, or just a book to read to a class to make them laugh.

37. A Wreath for Emmett Till

A Wreath for Emmett Till
By Marilyn Nelson
Illustrated by Philippe Lardy
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2009

Genre
Poetry

Awards

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book (2005)

Review
This is a well-written heroic crown of sonnets, beautifully illustrated to represent the feelings elicited by the horrible murder of fourteen-year old Emmett Till in 1955.  Though packaged like a children's picture book, this book is much more intense and dark and more appropriate for older middle grade students or high school students.  Many of the poems are from the perspective of the poet reviewing the lynching and Emmett himself, but a few are from other perspectives like that of the tree where he was hung or that of his mother.  Nelson skillfully weaves this wreath in memory of an event that haunts her from her childhood.

Opinion
This book unfortunately looks like a picture book, which means many older children may have qualms about picking it up, but it is certainly not meant for children.  The artwork is beautiful and I loved how she incorporated the language of flowers, making a wreath of poems and a symbolic wreath of flowers.  The back of the book contains a description of the events that spurred this book, and as someone unaware of this event, I wish this description was at the front.  There is also an explanation of the imagery and literary references in each sonnet that I found very useful.  I think this book deserves many readings to get the true meanings, as some of the poems may be too "intellectual" to draw out their intended emotions in the first read.

Ideas
A great book for Black History Month it shows an event that "helped spark the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s".  This is a good example of a heroic crown of sonnets, what I can only imagine to be a very difficult form of poetry to compose, and could be a challenging project for students to examine.

36. Riding Freedom

Riding Freedom
By Pam Muñoz Ryan
Scholastic Paperbacks, 1999
Narrated by Melissa Hughes

Genre
Historical Fiction

Awards 

• Teacher's Choice Award (1999)

• WILLA Award: Best Young Adult Novel (1999)
• Arizona Young Reader's Award (1999-2000)
• California Young Reader Medal: Intermediate Reader (2000)

Review
After Charlotte banned from the stables because her riding makes the boys look bad and her only friend in the orphanage is being adopted, she decides to run away.  She escapes with the help of her friend and the stable hand, disguised as a boy.  She finds work in a stable with coach horses where she is a stable hand, and eventually coach driver, until she decides to move to California during the gold rush to find land where she can finally get her own ranch.  This is a wonderful story about "Charlie", a coach driver that was a woman disguised as a man until the day she died.  An inspiring story for young girls about chasing your dreams no matter what it takes, this story touches on the history of the woman's suffrage movement and talks about what it was like to be a girl in those times.  Melissa Hughes does a great job narrating, bringing Charlotte's story to life for the listener.

Opinion
This is an inspiring story about this girl who went against all odds to achieve what she did.  The author explains that though Charlotte was real, and most of the characters and history was accurate, some of the timelines were changed to coincide with historical events the way the author wanted.  I think this is a great book for horse lovers and for girls, who will find strength in Charlotte's spirit and resilience.

Ideas
Great for a display about historical woman, woman's suffrage, horses, or people who are not who they appear to be.