Ship Breaker

By Paolo Bacigalupi. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010.

Picture a world in the future that is post global warming. Oil and gas supplies are gone. The waters of the Gulf Coast have risen, and cities like New Orleans are now underwater. It's a fight for survival, and the people who live on Bright Sands Beach do whatever it takes to eek out a pitiful living. For the main character, Nailer, this involves "ship breaking." Rusty hulks of diesel ships are his life, and his main job is stripping them of valuable metal, such as copper. Because of his small size, he is able to squeeze through very small ducts, and this job is highly desirable to his bosses and fellow crew workers. The more scrap metal he collects, the better for him. Making a living to earn him a meager amount of food and avoiding his drug-addicted, abusive father are his main daily challenges. That all changes when he discovers a clipper ship that crashed on shore after a major hurricane. Inside the ship, Nailer and his good friend Pima, discover enough jewelry and valuable items to make them very rich and comfortable for the rest of their lives. But, they also discover a half-dead girl, who they decide to rescue. They name her "Lucky Girl," and embark on a journey to New Orleans to return her to her prominent family in the hopes that Nailer will discover a better life than the one he has on the island.

Wow, wow, wow! This book is the 2011 Printz Winner for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and I can see why. First of all, I was immediately attracted to the cover. Usually, that doesn't make any difference to me, but this book cover perfectly represents the world you discover inside. Second, I loved the characters. They made me want to continue to read, because I had to know what would happen to them, especially Nailer. Third, the plot hooked me from page one. I don't read alot of dystopian fiction, but I was drawn into this futuristic world, which hit a bit close to home. You can easily imagine this world to be our future, especially with the global warming issues we are dealing with today. Finally, the action in the story will draw in reluctant readers, especially those who enjoy adventure stories. I don't want to give too much away, but the ending with the ships chasing each other will keep you turning pages at a rapid pace. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fast, thrilling read!

Smile

By Raina Telgemeier. New York: Graphix, 2010.

Oh, the joys of middle school. If you're an adult, you've been there, and I'm sure you remember how it felt to be an awkward pre-teen, trying to fit in. If you're younger, you are experiencing this now. Don't worry, it gets better! I promise. If you don't believe me, read this book.

Raina is a sixth grader. One night, after Girl Scouts, she trips and falls, and knocks out her two front teeth. It's a bad accident, and it begins a rather long journey for her through the world of dentistry and braces. She has to have a root canal, braces, really embarrassing headgear and a retainer. It's alot to deal with, especially when you are navigating your way through middle school, and trying to fit in. Raina's ordeal with braces takes us with her into tenth grade, when she finally gets them removed. She learns about friendship, who she really is, and in the end, is finally able to really smile because she is happy in her own skin. As she describes it, "I realized that I had been letting the way I looked on the outside affect how I felt on the inside. But the more I focused on my interests, the more it brought out things I liked about myself. And that affected the way other people saw me!"

This book has such a positive message, but it doesn't knock you over the head with it. Raina's story is universal, and fun to read. I recalled my own experiences during middle school and high school, and let's just say, I wouldn't want to live through that again. But, it shaped me into the person I am today. Kids will really enjoy this story - the graphics are very colorful, and the facial expressions are spot-on. If you're looking for a graphic novel with a good message, try this one. It will make you smile!

Jane

By April Lindner. New York: Poppy, 2010.

What if Jane Erye fell in love with a rock star? That's the premise for this novel's retelling of the classic Jane Erye. Jane Moore is desperate for a job. After the sudden death of her parents, she is forced to drop out of college because she can't afford to pay her tuition. She takes a job as a nanny at Thornfield Park, the home of rock star Nico Rathburn. There, she finds herself drawn to Nico, and ends up falling in love with him. But, there is a mystery at Thornfield, and a secret from Nico's past truly tests their love.

To be honest, I am on the fence about this book. If you are a fan of the original Jane Erye, I don't think you're going to like it. My biggest pet peeve with this book is its unoriginality. It followed the original story too closely, and I got bored with the retelling. To me, this is the biggest flaw of the novel. Don't get me wrong, it's still readable. After all, I flew through this book in a day, and it's good for an afternoon on the couch with a cup of tea. And I would recommend it to teens looking for a love story. But, if you're expecting something completely different, brace yourself for disappointment.

Revolution

By Jennifer Donnelly. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010.

Boy, oh boy, what an amazing book! First, let's talk plot. It's present day. Andi Alpers is 17 years-old, living in Brooklyn, and she is deeply grieving the loss of her younger brother, Truman. She has a lot of anger towards her father for never being around, her mother for being basically catatonic and unable to cope with life without her son. Andi has so much anger and grief, and it consumes her everyday life. She isn't able to talk about her feelings with anyone, and anti-depressants are barely keeping her functional. Due to her inability to cope, she is falling behind on her classes and is very close to getting expelled from St. Anselm's, the private school she attends. Her father intervenes, and takes Andi to Paris with him for a work trip with the goal of working on her thesis so she can graduate. While in Paris, Andi discovers a diary hidden in a guitar case that was written by a young girl, Alexandrine, who lived during the French Revolution. It's this discovery that changes Andi's life.

This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go! I was captivated by the story, the characters, and the setting. The writing is so strong, you can almost jump into the pages. One of the things I really liked was the two distinctive voices Donnelly gave to Andi and Alex. Andi's pain and grief is so heartbreaking, and you feel her mourning and sadness so fiercely. I also really loved the music element to this novel. Andi is a gifted musician, and music is her way of dealing with her feelings. On Jennifer Donnelly's website, she has a playlist of all the songs mentioned in the book. I also loved the setting and mixture of present time and the past. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read a fabulous story. Also, if you're not a fan of historical fiction, please, give this book a try. You won't be disappointed!

Cooking With Henry and Elliebelly

Written by Carolyn Parkhurst. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2010.

Oh, the joys of siblings! Anyone who has a younger brother or sister will relate to this spot-on book. Henry is five years old, and his little sister, Elliebelly, is two. They are playing at having their very own cooking show, "Cooking With Henry and Elliebelly." On the menu today is raspberry-marshmallow-peanut butter waffles with barbecued banana bacon (I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty awesome to me). As they "record" their show, Elliebelly keeps interjecting "suggestions" - like wearing a pirate hat instead of a chef hat, adding pizza to the list of ingredients, and including her doll in the show. Henry yells to his mom, who is presumably in the other room, off camera, and she gives him very helpful, "mom" advice, such as "work it out, you two" (that must be in the mom manual, because I've heard that expression before from my own mom). The show continues on, as Henry patiently works with his sister, and soon the pretend food is ready. Thankfully, Mom made some real waffles, because they are both hungry.

This book is delightful! The interactions between Henry and Elliebelly are very accurate, and I found myself chuckling at Henry's expressions and Elliebelly's joyful insistance on doing things a certain way. As the oldest of three, I found myself looking back on how my sister and I used to play together when we were little, and I could totally relate (although we never played a cooking show, thank goodness). The characters are perfectly illustrated to display their personalities. Elliebelly is so exuberant with her butterfly wings, big smile, and curly hair, while Henry has a look of resignation, as his show gets very off-track. The dialogue is also very clever, with Henry's text in black, and Elliebelly's in red. This is a perfect package of sibling togetherness and playing pretend. Check it out, and I promise you'll laugh in recognition!

Grumpy Badger's Christmas

Written by Paul Bright. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2009.

It's almost Christmas, and all the animals in the forest are busy getting ready for this special day. They are decorating the tree, wrapping presents, and making treats. It's a joyful time. Everyone is happy...except Grumpy Badger. Christmas is such "piffle." All Grumpy Badger wants to do is sleep through the winter, and not be disturbed. If anyone does bother him before spring, he'll be "very, very grumpy!" Before he goes to bed, Grumpy Badger checks the pantry and makes sure he has plenty of food for the spring. He is just closing his eyes, when someone knocks on the door. Mole is trying to get the lights up on the tree, but he needs to borrow Badger's ladder. "Piffle and double piffle!" replies Badger as he bangs the door shut on poor Mole. Badger is continually disturbed by other animals as he is trying to sleep, and he gets grumpier and grumpier, until finally he shouts "PIFFLE...and triple piffle on top of that! Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" He finally falls asleep, but has a horrible dream that Mole is about to fall from the top of the Christmas tree. Badger jumps out of bed and rescues Mole just in time. He apologizes for being grumpy, and throws a wonderful Christmas party for all his forest friends with all the yummy cakes, pies, and other goodies he was saving for spring. And of course, he promises next year if you don't come to his party, he'll be "very grumpy indeed!"

I LOVE this book! My library has so many Christmas books for kids, but this one just stood out for me. I can relate to Grumpy Badger, because everyone gets a little grumpy sometimes (especially during the holidays), but it's important to remember to be kind to your friends. The illustrations are adorable, full of detail, and they have a softness to them that just makes you feel cozy when you're reading this story. I love Badger's expressions of "piffle" - it makes for an entertaining read-aloud, and the reader can really get their "grump" on! But, I really hope everyone has a grump-free, merry Christmas!

Llama Llama Holiday Drama

By Anna Dewdney. New York: Viking, 2010.

Christmas is always a stressful time of the year. There's so much hustle and bustle, as people try to prepare for this holiday. There are presents to buy, food to prepare, decorations to set up. It's alot of work! It doesn't help matters that retailers start their Christmas displays a month ahead of time. This is no exception for poor Llama Llama. All the planning and prepping, and waiting for Christmas Day. As Llama Llama helps his mom bake cookies, decorate, and shop, he is wondering how many more days until Christmas. Is it time for presents yet? All this waiting, waiting, waiting. It's more than Llama Llama can take, and he has a "Llama, Llama, HOLIDRAMA!" But Mama knows just the thing to say. She and Llama Llama take a rest and reflect on what this time of year means. It's not about the presents; it's about family and being together with the ones you love.

This is another winner in the Llama Llama series, and just a perfect story for Christmas! I relate to Llama Llama and his feelings. It's so hard to be patient, especially when everyday seems to be filled with Christmas preparations. Mama's advice to slow down and reflect on family is a good reminder of what Christmas is about. A great book to share with your children!