100 Scope Notes

The American Library Association recently released its list of the 10 Most Challenged Books of 2007. There are some old standbys on the list like “The Chocolate War”, but there are also some younger bucks making waves. “And Tango Makes Three” holds onto the top spot for the second straight year, and the controversy surrounding “The Golden Compass” movie resulted in more challenges to its print version.

Click here to read the whole article at the ALA website.

1. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell

Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier

Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes

Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language

4. “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman

Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain

Reasons: Racism

6. “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker

Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. “TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle

Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou

Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9. “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris

Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky

Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

(Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom and ALA for the link)

Is anyone else intrigued by foreign edition book covers? Not only do they sometimes switch up the design, but there is the added bonus of the awkwardly translated, umlaut festooned title. Can I get a translation on “Dagbok för alla mina fans - Gregs Bravader” please?

Mishaps and Adventures just posted a gallery of various “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” covers from faraway lands.

Take a look at the cover for the Japanese edition:

Click here to visit Mishaps and Adventures and view the entire gallery.

Snakehead
By Anthony Horowitz
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399241611
$17.99
Grades 6-8
In Stores

*Recommended*

I work with students from kindergarten all the way up to 6th grade, and sometimes a particular series falls through the cracks. This is the way it was with Alex Rider. I knew it was there, I knew it was popular, but I just never got around to reading any of the books myself. Until now. I can understand the excitement. Adventure fans will eat up Snakehead, the seventh book in the Alex Rider series.

The story begins with our hero returning from his last mission. In outer space. Yep, suspension of disbelief will serve the reader well for what lies ahead. Alex Rider is a 14-year-old Brit with a special talent for getting out of seemingly impossible situations. Snakehead is full of these tight spots, beginning in Australia and working through Thailand and Indonesia before the final assault on an oil rig in the Timor Sea. Alex is paired up with his godfather, Ash, to go undercover for the Australian government. Their goal? Break up Snakehead, a people smuggling operation with ties to international crime syndicate Scorpia. Twists and turns ensue. Alex’s cover is soon blown and he has to use all his skills (including kickboxing, kayaking, and parachuting, to name a few) to stay alive. But you don’t have to take my word for it ( ™ Reading Rainbow). Check out the book trailer:

A spy thriller that readers will tear into.

Also reviewed by Breeni Books.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

I run into the problem regularly. Students have a hard time remembering where they pulled a book from if they decide they don’t want to check it out. This seems to happen more in the non-fiction section, where Dewey Decimal rules. We do our best, but the fact that it’s a challenge for kids means more can be done. Like this for example:

Animal shaped shelf markers.

Click here to visit the website (in Japanese).

(Thanks to Gawker for the link)

I open up my morning paper and what’s there on the front page? The results of a report done by Renaissance Learning laying out the “most read books” at each grade level. How do they know? Renaissance Learning makes a software program called Accelerated Reader that is used in thousands of schools nationwide. The software allows students to take reading comprehension quizzes on books that they have read, earning points and prizes. If you’re a school librarian, you know that this program is often controversial. Whether you like the concept of extrinsic motivation for reading or not, this report probably contains a pretty decent sample of which books are popular at elementary schools using Accelerated Reader. Let’s take a look:

Click here to see the article in its entirety in The Washington Post.

First grade:

1. “Green Eggs and Ham,” Dr. Seuss

2. “The Foot Book,” Dr. Seuss

3. “Are You My Mother?” P.D. Eastman

Second grade:

1. “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” Laura Numeroff

2. “Green Eggs and Ham”

3. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” Eric Carle

Third grade:

1. “Charlotte’s Web,” E.B. White

2. “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” Judi Barrett

3. “Officer Buckle and Gloria,” Peggy Rathmann

Fourth grade:

1. “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” Judy Blume

2. “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” Patricia MacLachlan

3. “Because of Winn-Dixie,” Kate DiCamillo

Fifth grade:

1. “Bridge to Terabithia,” Katherine Paterson

2. “Hatchet,” Gary Paulsen

3. “Holes,” Louis Sachar

I’ve gotta say that the results are a bit surprising - quite a few classics. However, since Accelerated Reader quizzes are taken at school, the books kids are reading are from the school library. So, maybe some love should go to school librarians, who keep stocking the classics alongside the newest hits.

(Top Image: ‘Genetics Exhibit, San Jose Tech‘
www.flickr.com/photos/51035555243@N01/176219371)

Smitten
By David Gordon
Atheneum
ISBN: 9781416924401
$15.99
Grades K-2
In Stores

Sometimes you come across a book where everything seems to be in place at first glance. Nice illustrations, appealing characters, catchy title. It’s the kind of book you would expect kids to be drawn to. Upon reading, however, there’s just something missing. “Smitten” is this kind of book. Underneath the cover, “Smitten” suffers a lack of development that puts the breaks on an otherwise solid effort.

Mitten meets Sock by the park after he falls out of his owner’s laundry basket. After introductions, the two decide to comb the big city in search of their pairs. Their adventure takes them to the laundromat (where Sock shrinks), and down into the subway (where Mitten unravels). They end up in the yarn store, where Sock finds a way to put his friend back together. In a world of matching pairs, Sock and Mitten agree that they match as well as the best of ‘em.

David Gordon comes to the table with a resumé that would make most folks not show up for the interview. He has written and illustrated a number of books. He’s one of the illustrators taking part in the huge “Truck Town” series by Jon Scieszka. In addition to his print portfolio, Mr. Gordon has worked on a who’s who of American children’s DVD collections. Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Spongebob, the list continues. The digital illustrations for “Smitten” are bright and smooth with a soft quality. If it were possible to paint with modeling clay, this would be the result. He’s good.

“Smitten” is a book that kids will be anxious to read, which is a good thing. However, the tension in this adventure tale is never quite there. The characters go from one even to the next without making the reader invest in what’s happening. That is the downfall in this otherwise pleasant picture book.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” fell into the rather large category of kids books turned movies where I thought, “I might be disappointed, so I’ll pass for now”. *cough* Golden Compass *cough*. Well, I’ve got some catching up to do. The next installment in the series is making its way to silver screens on May 16. Take a look at the most recent trailer for “Prince Caspian”

Not So Tall for Six
By Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrated by Frank W. Dormer
Charlesbridge
ISBN: 9781570917059
$14.95
Grades K-2
In Stores

I played one year of high school tennis. It was doubles and I was paired up with a kid who was far and away the smallest kid in my grade. I happened to be the tallest. This made for some interesting tennis, but didn’t change the fact that we both played hard. I bring up this story because “Not So Tall for Six” is a book that will not only appeal to still-waiting-for-their-growth-spurt kids, but also to the ones who are embarrassed about their rangy clumsiness. See, it’s more about doing the right thing than about height.

Right off the bat “Not So Tall” reminded me of “Saving Sweetness” in its language and setting. The American Southwest doesn’t seem to be the locale for many picture books, and it makes this one stand out. Kylie Bell is the shortest- excuse me, “not so tallest” in her first grade class. She can’t claim surprise though: small stature is a common thing in her family. This occasionally makes life hard, but overall Kylie makes do just fine. Rusty Jacks, a new bully, uses his size to torment his classmates. When lit circle time rolls around in their class and Rusty is circle-less, Kylie makes a hard choice: to be the big person and do the right thing.

Mr. Dormer’s illustrations depict the Southwest in all its glory - cacti, tumbleweeds, and pueblo architecture abound. The style is well suited to the story, which is similarly of-its-place. So: solid story with a not too overbearing message, quality artwork that fits with the text - the makings of a solid selection.

Also reviewed by Jen Robinson’s Book Page,

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

View this entire book online with Lookybook.

Click
By David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Tim Wynne-Jones, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Maguire, Ruth Ozeki, and Linda Sue Park
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780439411387
$16.99
Grades 6-9
In Stores

After putting this one down, I was left with a problem: how do I review a book written by 10 different authors? You can’t expect the same things you do from a standard story. The criteria for “good” and “bad” has to be different. Like continuity for instance. The ten chapters in “Click” were each composed by a different writer, and the transition from one style to the next takes a bit of effort. Acceptable given the format? Yes. Acceptable in a standard, one author book? Not so sure. The result is a book that is fun to dissect and perfectly suited for classroom analysis and discussion. From a pure reading enjoyment standpoint, however, I was left wanting more.

At the heart of the story is George “Gee” Keane. The first chapter (by Park) picks up just a week after Gee’s funeral. His grandchildren, Maggie and Jason, are reeling and their parents are doing their best to keep it together. Gee led a truly extraordinary life as a renowned photographer, traveling the world. He left gifts for the Mags and Jason. For his granddaughter, Gee left a box with seven shells, each from a different continent. The accompanying instructions saying simply “Throw them all back”. For Jason, a camera.

After that first chapter, each author takes a different aspect of the story (Gee, Maggie, Jason) and expands it. Really, it’s more like the book is ten short stories that are all connected, rather than one unified whole. Never does a chapter pick up right were the last one left off, which could be tough for some readers. There wouldn’t be much fun in this book if everyone involved tried to work in the same style. I enjoyed detecting the shift for each author. Some leaps are bigger than others (David Almond to Eoin Colfer stands out), and I soon realized that this switch makes you think about what type of writing appeals to you the most.

The design of this book is in-shane. As you can see from the photo above, the book looks like a camera. But it doesn’t just slap a lens on there and call it good. No, “Click” gets downright technical in its reproduction. Screws, switches, latches, and gears are all there. Since the driving force in the book is photography, and Gee’s camera plays a big role, it is the perfect way to let readers know what they’re getting into. Will it appeal to younger readers, not just 26 year old librarians? I’ll be curious to see when it hits our library shelves.

I would recommend “Click” for its individual parts, with the caveat that those parts don’t add up to be greater than the whole.

To learn more about the process of writing this book, take a look at One Question, Ten Answers with the Authors of Click

Also reviewed by A Fuse #8 Production.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat

100 Scope Notes is opening up the vaults. Below the search box on the left side of the page there is a drop down menu titled “The Archives”. It collects posts from each month the blog has been in existence. Feel free to rummage through old posts from as far back as the good ol’ days of November ‘07.

(Image: ‘that way please‘
www.flickr.com/photos/65452140@N00/15811977)