Nonfiction Monday: Kelly Milner Halls

Last month I took a class on Tweens through ALA, taught by Ed Sullivan One of the fun things about the class was that the teacher got many authors to talk about their work with the students.

One of the authors we got to talk with is Kelly Milner Halls, so I read five of her books.

Overall, what I really like about her work is that she picks topics that kids want to read about. She covers these topics from many different angles, and really shows how the research is done by the experts in the field. Many, many scientists appear in her books in many forms, but what I really love is that most of them have interview transcripts with different scientists, or parts written by scientists, so they can talk about their work in their own words.

Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare-bone Fossils

Ok, did you know that dinosaurs didn't just leave bones behind? But when conditions were just right, parts were mummified? Not in the same way that people have been, because they're too old, but mummy fossils? We have more than just bones from these lizards, but pieces of flesh and skin and these bits are changing the way people think about dinosaurs.

This book takes us to different dinosaur mummy discoveries, the people working on the find, and what these finds mean to paleontology.

We always need more dinosaur books, but this is one that adds something to the shelf and the field.

Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist with Rick Spears and Roxyanne Young

This is an interesting one, because it looks at creatures that many look at as mythical- Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, mermaids and others. They unpack why people think these creatures exists, what evidence there is for and against, the fact and fiction surrounding each creature.

I especially liked when they looked at creatures that exist around the world (such as Big Foot) and how the information changes, or doesn't, in different locations and cultures.

My favorite was when they looked at "mythical" creatures that have been proven to really exist, such as the Giant Squid, Coelacanth, and the Chacoan peccary.

It teaches kids to keep looking and keep believing.

There's also a super-awesome mini-encyclopedia of Cryptids with a sketch and description of each creature, as well as a rating on how likely it is to be actually exist.

Albino Animals

A genetic condition that results in a complete lack of pigment can occur in every living thing. Starting with an explanation of genetics, Halls then looks at different albino animals, insects, and plants, and discusses the issues they cause in the wild. Many exist only in captivity and have very special health concerns that they often don't understand. For instance, alligators have to sunbathe in order to digest their food (!!!) but albino alligators will severely sunburn if they do this (!!!!!). In captivity, they have special warming rocks so they can digest while not burning.

Also, albino plants! They can't live long, because you need chlorophyll for photosynthesis, but dude ALBINO PLANTS.

There's a reason this is on our summer reading list.

Wild Dogs: Past & Present

An excellent look at the evolution of Canis over the millennia. We see how myths and bad feelings towards wolves sprung up, how branches split off to form the different species we know today, where they live, and the prehistoric creatures they all come from.

I especially liked how it looks at all these different species around the world and the current issues surrounding these species today, plus all the pull-out boxes of fun facts. A great, different look at a dog book.

Possibly, the best recommendation? I was reading this and Dan leaned over and started reading over my shoulder. His comment was "Why don't you read THAT book in story time? That'd get the boys interested!" There followed a brief explanation of age levels and text to picture ratio, but it became quickly apparent that he was jealous he didn't have this book when he was a kid.

Wild Horses: Galloping Through Time

All you need to know is that this is a horse book that boys and girls will BOTH like.

Like Wild Dogs, it looks at how horses evolved and where they live now and how they differ from each other. Many wild horses face many great concerns to survival and this book outlines those concerns and also what people can do to help, as well as places to see while horses.


Overall, Kelly Milner Halls just writes great books that kids love. She makes hard information easy to understand and fun to learn about. An author you need to know about.

Round up is over at Lost Between the Pages


Books Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Merlin's Harp

Merlin's Harp Anne Eliot Crompton

Welcome to the latest stop on the Merlin's Harp blog tour.

As you can probably tell to the title, this is a book about Arthur. It's also a re-release of a book that first came out in the mid-90s.

Nivienne is Fey, the daughter of the Lady of the Lake. She grows up on Apple Island, in an abandoned Roman villa, listening to Merlin's songs, one of the only Fey to have an idea of the world beyond their forest. You might know her name as Vivienne, her home as Avalon.

Legends unfold around her and many facets of the Arthur tale get folded in, while still being a different take on most of them. In the end, it's up to Nivienne and Merlin to try and keep Arthur's peace, even though we know they will ultimately fail.

I really liked this one.

First off, I liked it so much more than I liked Damosel which is similar in its premise.

I especially liked Nivienne's inner conflict between learned Human feelings and ideas and her Fey-ness. She develops feelings and affection for other characters and doesn't understand why. The Fey are supposed to be disconnected and unfeeling (there is a lot of faeries kidnapping Humans for their own pleasure, which often has dire consequences for the Arthur story). There is also a lot exploration between the world of the Fey (which Crompton keeps fairly British-traditional) and the Human. I appreciated the explanation of why the Fey got involved in the Arthur story, which I think is important when going with the traditional detached world of faerie.

Even more, it's a story of a world on the brink of change. The Church has come to Britain, and the role and world of the Fey is changing because of it. It's a side issue, but one that's really interesting and I'd love to see more work explore such things.

I also just loved the language. It's a voice and pattern and rhythm that will not work for everyone. I know that, but it's one that I really get into. You can read the first chapter here.

Two nights more, and the moon would flower. Drums would thrum, pipes sing. From the deepest, farthest fores shadows the Fey would gather in glades like this to dance, cavort, feast and love. Silent folk who carefully did not cross paths all month would meet that night as friends and lovers. And I had meant with them, this time.


Book Provided by... the publisher, for blog tour review

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Star Wars: Rebel Force

So, I must admit that my first and foremost fictional love is not Mr. Darcy, or the Weasley twins, or even Gilbert Blythe.

It's Han Solo.

I'm a huge fan of the original movies (which I only watch sparingly, because I own them on VHS from before Lucas messed with them. I should probably upgrade the box set where the originals are part of the bonus features.) When I was in junior high, I read many of the sequels. Dan was rather taken aback when we went to see Revenge of the Sith and he asked me a question and my answer involved the spice mines of Kessel. Um, yeah...

The kids at work are also obsessed with Star Wars, but they have no idea who Han and Luke and Leia are! I once said something about Luke Skywalker to one of the kids and he said "Luke? Who? Do you mean Anakin?" I think I died a little inside that day.

That's why I was really happy when we got in the Rebel Force series by Alex Wheeler. Finally! A new series with my favorites on the covers! I wasn't going to read it, but I was in a funk the other day and decided that nothing would cheer me up more than reading a book with Han Solo on the cover. But, it's the third book in the series, so I decided to start at the beginning.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first three books. Action takes place in the three years between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The books assume at least a knowledge of the prequel movies and A New Hope. I highly recommend being familiar with the later movies as well because the books have some spoilers on the makeup of the Skywalker family tree. It's also overly obvious that Han and Leia have the hots for each other, not that they're admitting that to anyone, including themselves.

Target

The Rebel Alliance may have just blown up the Death Star, but they still have many problems. The Emperor wants to know who fired the shot that blew up his battle station, and he wants that pilot dead. Rezi Shoresh lost his estranged wife and son in the explosion and wants to move up in the Emperor's esteem. He sends his assassin, X-7 to infiltrate the rebel forces, find the pilot who destroyed the station, and kill him. There's a twist though-- Shoresh wants X-7 to not get caught, so he can stay and report on rebel activities.

The Rebels know the Emperor is gunning for Luke, so the fact that he fired the shot is made a top secret. More pressing is the fact that most of their money and resources were on Alderaan-- the Alliance is broke. Han, Luke, and Leia are off to Muunilist, an Imperial stronghold where they have some secret bank accounts.

On their way, they meet a new friend, Tobin Elad. He's lost his entire family, like Leia. He respects Luke. He's a fellow badboy for Han. He's everything to everyone. He's also X-7.

Hostage

Leia's on her way to the planet Delaya, Alderaan's sister planet. Anyone from Aderaan who wasn't on the planet when it was destroyed has gathered on Delaya. Leia's on her way to comfort her people, and to recruit them to the Rebel Alliance.

However, not all of the survivors are glad to see her. They blame her for Alderaan's destruction. She blames herself as well.

Tobin/X-7 knows how hard this is for her, and knows this is the perfect moment to find out who destroyed the Death Star. He has his suspicions, but needs confirmation.

The best part is the hidden currents of the Alderaan community. Leia's being shown a model resettlement, while most refugees are shoved in warehouses. There are different factions who don't agree on what the best course of action is, and far too many are willing to sell out our heroes to the Empire.

Renegade

Now that Tobin/X-7 has confirmed Luke's status as the pilot who fired the decisive shot, he's going to kill him. But, the Force is with Luke and he survives (albeit barely) the first attempt. Han, however, is still blamed after being framed by Tobin. When Leia doesn't trust that Han would never hurt Luke, he's had enough. It's time for him to pack it in, repay Jabba, and get on with his life.

Luke knows Han didn't do it, but until they can discover who did, he and Leia has returned to Tatooine to gather with Luke's friends to say a final farewell to his childhood friend, Biggs, a member of Red Squadron who was lost trying to blow up the Death Star. (Officially, he was in the Imperial Navy and died when it exploded.)

Yoda and Obi-Wan have a plan to ensure Han will return to the Rebels, where he is desperately needed, not only as a pilot, but as a friend.

Jabba is impatient for Solo to pay for his past misdeeds. When he learns that Luke is on Tatooine, he sets a bounty hunter after him, to use Luke as a trap to catch Han...




And... that's when I discovered that this wasn't a trilogy and there's more to the story. None of my local libraries have the rest of the series (the 6th book comes out in May) so I've had to ILL them. Because I'm that sucked in. I know X-7 will never succeed at killing Luke, but I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

What I most love about the series is how it fills in some of the gaps. We see a lot of character development, especially from Luke and Han. I never thought it was weird how soon Han returned to the Alliance until I read this series. It shows a lot of his inner conflict between the fact he likes these people and wants to help and the fact that he has debts to pay and Jabba has put a huge price on his head. There is some of this shown in Empire Strikes Back, but it gets much more exploration in these books.

It also shows how Luke grows, trying to train himself as a Jedi (because he hasn't met Yoda yet). Also, going from some hick kid to hero of the Alliance isn't the easiest thing in the world.

Overall, it's a really fun series that I hope gets kids into the best part of the Star Wars industry and universe.

Books Provided by... my local library

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Poetry Friday

Today's Poetry Friday is an offering of a verse novel review

On Pointe Lorie Ann Grover

By now you have all probably figured out that I have a weakness for ballet novels. Someday I'd like to do some research into the changing world of ballet novels-- when they started actively talking about permanent foot damage and eating disorders. When the heroine wasn't always guaranteed to grow up to be the world's biggest ballet star.

This one follows a more modern ballet novel plot and as a frequent reader of such things, the ballet plot was pretty predictable and wrapped up a little too quickly.

Clare is living with her grandfather for the summer, taking intensive ballet classes, preparing for an audition for the City Ballet Company. Failure, for her, is not an option, but she doesn't have control over everything and may have to face the unfaceable.

As a verse novel, this one is a bit different in that it is one long poem instead of a series of poems. As a poem, it falls into the trap of many verse novels and doesn't really work on the level of poetry. The moments of poetry come when Clare is dancing, but when it's general plot and dialogue, it doesn't work as well.

But, it is obvious that Grover is a dancer and danced at the intense level that Clare does. She's gone through the auditions and competitiveness of that level of dance and writes about it in completely authentic voice. And this is why the poetry works best when it's about the dancing.

Dust.
Steamy sweat,
like a pot
of chicken soup.
Oak floors.
Pine rosin.
Sour breath
from deep inside.
We breathe it all
in rhythm.

Here is the moment
when the music flows into my bones,
and I don't have to
think of the steps,
and I don't have to count the movements,
and it really feels
like I might actually be
dancing
for a few seconds.

I'm a pale dust mote
swirling on a warm
sunbeam.
I leap and float,
land deep and rise
to step and spin in the shaft of light,
showing everyone
who I really am.
It's like
I'm turned
inside out.

(pages 11-12)

Round up is over at Teaching Books.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery Agatha Christie

When the richest man in town is murdered, the suspect list is long and varied. Everyone had a motive, but very few (if any) people had a way. There are marriages of convenience, heirs who have been written out of wills, affairs, black mail, and random drug-addicted relatives from America. The town doctor is our narrator and he's happy to tag along and watch his new next-door neighbor, Hercule Poirot solve the case.

I never would have guessed whodunnit except that the back says "Setting up the traditional rules of mystery only to shatter them, Christie delivers her most controversial detective novel ever, and it still startles." Which made me think in directions my mind never would have gone. My inner dialogue was a lot of "She couldn't! She wouldn't! Would she? OMG she totally did." (To not confuse you, the "she" is Christie, not a character.) I also loved the doctor's spinster sister, who is the queen of mad theories and village gossip. I think every English village has one, and her character is so perfect for the book and Poirot and Christie both use her for excellent purposes.

That said, I still loved it. I don't read a lot of mysteries, especially for adults, but I do like all the Christie I have read and I'm really glad I joined the Marple/Poirot/Holmes challenge so I have an excuse to read at least 3 more Christie books this year!

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Cranford

Cranford Elizabeth Gaskell

This is not really an actual story and more a series of vignettes that detail life in a small North England village in the mid-nineteenth century. All the gentry in Cranford are female, elderly, and not nearly as well-off as they once were or pretend to be. Mary is a younger woman who lives in the nearby city of Drumble and often stays with the Matty Jenkyns, an old family friend, in Cranford. It is through Mary's first-person narration that we meet the people and see the daily life of the upper classes in this small town.

Due to the lack of an over-arching plot, this is a slow, quiet book, but I liked it nonetheless and often laughed out loud. (The edition I have is heavily endnoted to explain some of the references.) Cranford originally appeared serially in Household Words, edited by Charles Dickens. There is a great interaction between characters as they fight over which author is better--Dickens or Samuel Johnson. Dickens is seen as lowbrow. As a modern reader, this is extra hilarious, as Dickens is what has lasted and while Johnson is still well-remembered, his novels aren't. Despite the frequent references to Dickens and Johnson, this has more in common with Austen then either of them-- it's the same focus on female gentility with a sharp wit and keen eye for the small details of daily life.

Of course, I squeed when I saw Gaskell lived in Manchester and her husband was the minister at the Cross Street Unitarian Chapel, which is where I went when I lived there. (Of course, the building's moved, as the chapel he was at was lost in the 1996 IRA bombing. Now it's in an office building.)

I must now read more of her stuff, as I'm sure she won't hate on the North! North and South is on the list, as is... OOO! More stories about Cranford and the ladies within-- Mr. Harrison's Confessions and My Lady Ludlow. here's a UK version that binds them in one book...

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Paris Pan Takes the Dare

Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu

Paris hates moving every seven to eight months, but maybe this time will be different. She even manages to make friends on her first day of school. Unfortunately, she also discovers that a girl died on her family’s new property. At night, Paris hears all sorts of weird tapping noises and girls voices. In order to keep her friends and retain her non-freak status, Paris is going to have to spend the night outside in the woods that she’s convinced herself are haunted.

As an adult, there were certain aspects of the book that I had figured out early (the giggling) and some I didn't (the dolls. SO FREAKY.) Paris's struggles to make friends, her desperation for them is something I think a lot of tween readers can and will relate to. I also liked the dimension added with Robin's bullying. Paris knows it's wrong, but she also is so insecure in her place at the new school that she feels like she can't do anything to stop it. Paris's older sister, Verona, adds much needed comic relief. And, as always, I love Cynthea Liu for using real pinyin when Chinese appears in her books! But, I've blogged about that before. My favorite (for me) moment came when Paris's mom yells at her to "CLOSE THE LIGHT."

I had completely forgotten that, in Chinese, you open and close electronics instead of turning them on and off. When I studied in China, it was a construction that slipped into our English really quickly and when I came back to the States, was one of the last ones to leave my messed-up English.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

China Challenge: March Reviews

It's time to leave your March reviews below!

Also, I haven't done any prizes yet for this challenge. I haven't been to China in awhile, so I will be giving away books that would count for the challenge. Every review you've linked to so far in the challenge, including March's reviews, will get you one entry in a drawing. Winners will be posted in the April review post.

ALSO-- for those of you doing the Silk Road Trek, be sure to tell me about any of the supplemental stuff you did-- that will also get you an entry!

Sound good? Start reading!

Guardian Challenge 2.0

Even though I didn't finish it, I had a lot of fun with my Guardian Challenge last year, so I'm doing it again. I hope you'll join me! There are also a few changes...

So, for those who didn't play along last year, the British newspaper, The Guardian, came up with a list of 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read Before They Die. (In case they take that link down, I've also posted the list here.)



There are 3 levels:

1. (This is the same as last year's challenge)

Read 10 books. You must read one book from each of the 7 categories. If possible, at least 1 title should be a book you hadn't heard of before seeing it on the list.



2.

Read 7 books, one from each category.


3.

Read any 5 books from the list.

Every month I'll have a round-up post for you to leave your links. There will probably be prizes of some sort, but I don't have any trips scheduled to England this year (I don't go for 6 years and then went back twice in a year! It was crazy. CRAZY AWESOME.) So they might not be British.

ALSO I STILL OWE PEOPLE PRIZES FROM LAST YEAR'S CHALLENGE. I haven't forgotten, I'm just still thinking.

Anyway, grab a button if you want, spread the word, sign up below and have fun!

I'm Back!

Sorry for the unscheduled break folks! After the week of being shut up in the house, I needed to not look at my computer more than necessary for awhile. Then I took a trip to New York. BUT! I'm back now with the biggest "to-review" stack in the world!

And let's not mention the to-read stack, shall we?

Nonfiction Monday

Didja see that the Cybil winners were announced yesterday?

Well, I have two biographies today that were Cybil nominees, the first one written by the same author of the winner!

A Life in the Wild: George Schaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts Pamela S. Turner

This biography of George Schaller follows him from his early interest in animal, to his university days in Alaska, and his research trips around the world-- studying gorillas in what was then the Belgian Congo, tigers in India, lions on the Serengeti, snow leopards in the Himalayas, pandas in China, and the ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau.

As Schaller's career started in 1959, the book shows how he revolutionized how we observe animals in the wild (such as, by quietly observing them and not killing them.) The photographs are all from Schaller's personal collection, so we get a good look at how things looked then. I (obviously) found the chapters on China and Tibet most interesting and wanted a deeper look at all the politics at play, because there were hints at things that I recognized instantly as Chinese face-saving and Chinese politics, but as that wasn't the point or focus of the book, it didn't get into it.

It's an interesting book for middle grade readers who want to learn about conservation of several different animals and how our ideas on how best of learn about and save animals has changed over time. I especially recommend pairing The chapter about tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas in 1969-1975 with Sy Montgomery's Saving the Ghost of the Mountain, about tracking snow leopards in Mongolia.

Book Provided by... my local library

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum Candace Fleming

Did you know that PT Barnum got into the circus game very late in life? He was 60 before he got involved, and then it was because a business partner wanted the fame that Barnum's name would give to the venture (also, Barnum's cash). Who knew?

Well, if you read this delightful, informative, and fascinating biography, filled with informational sidebars and pictures and other ephemera, you will. Seriously, the entire week after I read it, I was telling everyone I came across random facts about Barnum. I annoyed everyone I knew! And people I didn't.

I highly recommend it. It's one of the books that just missed my personal Cybils shortlist. My only complaint is that Fleming relies heavily on Barnum's own autobiographies and there were a few things that made me pause and when I checked the source, it was Barnum's own version of his life, which isn't exactly the most objective point of view.

Book Provided by... my local library

Round up is by Amy over at The Art of Irreverence. Check it out!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

It's Snowing. Again.

I had to buy myself flowers to remind me that spring will come eventually. You can't tell in this photo, but it's snowing. Again.

RIP

I just saw on Color Online that Lucille Clifton died today.

All I can think of is the Ani Difranco song that introduced my high school self to her work

And Lucille your voice still sounds in me
And mine was a relatively easy tragedy

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Poetry Friday

Sunday is Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year, so why not share a Chinese love poem? Chang Yu lived in the ninth century. I got this poem out of the anthology Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry

"Song of Farewell" in the Tartar Mode

The sheen of the willows spreads ten thousand feet,
The fragrance of peach blossoms fills the park.
But when the wind blows it past the curtain,
There's only the scent that clings to the dress.

Lee over at I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the hell do I read? is hosting the round-up!

Book Provided by... my wallet, many years ago.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

SNOW WEEK

I've now had a full week off work due to snow. My rapid descent into madness is amusing many of my friends, but... oiy.

One thing that's been nice is I have gotten a lot of reading done. I'm taking a class through ALA on connecting with tween readers, so you'll see a lot of reviews of middle grade fiction that specifically address how tweens will respond. Just thought I'd explain the odd shift in reviewing style.

Confetti Girl Diana Lopez

Nothing’s going right for Lina Flores. Her best friend now spends all her time with her new boyfriend. Her father would rather read a book than deal with his grief after losing his wife. The popular boys have nothing better to do than mock her for her height. Her only outlet is sports, but her English grade is keeping her off the soccer team.

Tween girls will identify with Lina’s confusion—over her crush, her changing friendships, why the school psychologist wants her to write a story, her English vocabulary, and adults in general. The dichos (Spanish-language proverbs) that head each chapter and are sprinkled through the text help illustrate the Corpus Christi setting and Lina’s Latina heritage, without making it a focus of the story.

I especially appreciated Lina’s struggles with Watership Down, as that’s a book my father has been urging me to read since fifth grade.

Additional thoughts: I love Lina's sock obsession. I loved how into science she was. I loved how she wasn't the only one with a crazy parent, and how all the craziness of the parents was understandable and believable. It's such a great book.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.