Kat Cooks the Books--kids' lit-inspired recipes

I've long been a recipe buff and am always tickled when I find a good children's book that includes a recipe. That said, I never once thought about making up a recipe inspired BY a children's book. Then, LM_Net (a librarian's listserv) dropped this blog onto my lap: Kat Cooks the Books at http://katcooksthebooks.blogspot.com/. The "why didn't I think of that!!!" factor hits me big-time when I look at this blog. So far, there are recipes inpsired by Robert McCloskey's Blueberries for Sal, Kevin Henkes' Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, and Peggy Parrish's Amelia Bedelia series. These recipes and stories just beg to be used in a book club or in any number of of storytime related activities. Wonderful!

Suddenly Supernatural by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Kat is a 7th grader who'd love to have just one good friend. She thinks she's finally got her chance when she's partnered with one of the most popular girls in school for a social studies project. The only problem? Well, let's just say that ghostly wails of bagpipes, strange temperature changes, and a mother who talks to dead people may not be conducive to "fitting in" with the popular crowd. To make matters worse, at least from Kat's point of view, she herself has started to see dead people too. Spend some time with Kat as she tries to come to terms with her own gift, make friends, and figure out what the ghost in the library wants Kat to do. Visit Kimmel's website at: http://www.codykimmel.com

I started this one at about 11:00 p.m. and finished it up in the wee hours of the morning. Why? I didn't want to put it down. I'm getting too old to do that, but I really liked this story. I'd recommend this one to anyone who like ghost stories, paranormal twists, or mysteries with both of the other elements. Bonus? There are sequels!

Some Great Sites for Mystery Lovers and More

As an avid mystery reader, I'm a big fan of the Stop You're Killing Me (SYKM) website (http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/). The site is wonderful in that it offers you easy access to mystery books, allowing you to search outright, or if you remember the main character name, by character, or by author. This alone makes the site noteworthy, but it also includes some other handy features including a "read-alike" section, a genre index and and location index. While the site does include some mysteries written for the young adult, it does not list mysteries geared specifically toward children. However, Lucinda Surber, SYKM Webmaster, has another wonderful site called Bookworm for Kids (http://www.bookworm4kids.com/). The site is geared toward parents, grandparents and teachers interested in encouraging kids to love reading. There are links to Caldecott and Newbery Award winners, links to books by theme (such as divorce, sibling rivalry), books by genre and by subject, and more. If you want to find some great recommendations for mysteries for children, just visit the site's genre link and select "mysteries".

Enjoy exploring these wonderful sites and happy reading!

The Capture by Karen Lasky

The Capture, first of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, is the story of a young owl named Soren who is captured and taken to a horrible place where young owls from all over the kingdom are basically brainwashed into forgetting who they are and made to work mining "fleck". The story if filled with adventure and suspense and quite a lot of mystery. How did Soren fall from his nest? Did his sister and nest-maid survive? Will Soren and Gylfie escape or will they, too, succumb to the mind-numbing effects of moon-blanking? What is the purpose of the flecks and what is housed in the mysterious "orphanage" library. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to learn more about these amazing creatures.

Recommended for Grades 4-8, this series will appeal to readers who like adventure and suspense with animals as the main characters, such as the Redwall series by Jacques and the NIMH series by O'Brien.

Jimmy Coates, Assassin? by Joe Craig

Jimmy Coates is 11, has an annoying older sister, a best friend who likes to joke around and has no idea that his life, as he knows it, is about to change. Forever. This story is set in an England that has gone haywire--just like all that Jimmy believed--about himself, his family, and his country. I can not wait to see what happens in the next installment.

The book is listed as Grades 4-8, with a reading level from ages 9-12. That said, anyone who enjoys a good romp and a bit of a mystery will zip through this story and be chomping at the bit for more. Who will enjoy this book? Readers who enjoyed Alex Ryder's adventures (by Horowitz) or H.I.V.E (by Walden).

Books popular with my 5th graders, and some ideas to help you help them

I am always on the lookout for recommended reads, and I often get requests for a list of books for a specific grade level. There are lots of lists of recommended books out there--right at our fingertips--so, with all the lists out there, how do you know which list is the best one for you to use with your child (or students)? The best thing I've found so far is to just take it on a case by case basis. I'll include a few tips first, then a list of series and titles that are popular with my students, and some links to just a few websites that may be helpful for you.

A few tips:

• Know your child/student--For example: Is this child inclined to have nightmares? If yes, don't choose "scary" stories"
  
• Know what your child is interested in--does this child prefer action? fantasy? mysteries?
  
• Let your child see you read something you enjoy.
  
• Know how to help your child pick books that are "just right" for them--there is a simple strategy for this that doesn't require test results or any thing complicated--check out the five-finger rule
• If you have concerns about certain topics or issues of language, use your child's reading choices as an opportunity to discuss these issues with your child.
  

and finally

• If you want to encourage your child to read for fun, please, give your child some freedom of choice. It's OKAY for them to choose picture books, graphic novels, non-fiction, "easy" chapter books, magazines, poems, etc. A book doesn't have to be "classic good literature" to encourage someone read (and if you want to stir up a stink, just get a group of people debating what's "good" and "classic" literature!).
  

A few of the books &/or series that are popular with my 5th graders:

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
The Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Ranger's Apprentice series by Jeff Flanagan
The Bone series by Jeff Smith
The Baby Mouse series by Matthew and Jennifer Holm
The Animal Ark series by Ben Baglio
The Molly Moon series by Georgia Byng
The Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator series by Jennifer Allison
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
The Among the Hidden series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Because of Winn-Dixie and Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter
Judy Blume's books, including the Fudge series and The Pain and the Great One


In general:

• Anything related to Star Wars
• Any Guinness Book of World Records
• "Scary" stories, including Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Ask the Bones, Goosebumps, etc.
  

Somes sites that may help you in your quest for books for your child/student:

www.readingrockets.org--a national multimedia project that offers informationa nd resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle and how caring adults can help

www.papertigers.org--Features multicultural books (with specific focus on Pacific Rim and South Asia), offering a wealth of book-related resources for teachers, librarians, and parents

www.kidsreads.com--place for kids and parents to find info about their favorite books, series, and authors, including reviews, author interviews, trivia and games, and more

Neil Gaiman and The Graveyard Book

This is just too cool. If you would like to watch Neil Gaiman read each chapter of The Graveyard Book, head over to his website at http://www.neilgaiman.com/ and click the link for "Video Tour" (or just click on this link The Graveyard Book). From there, you can open each chapter of his video tour. Apparently, the author is reading a chapter at each of his book tour stops and these readings are being posted for our viewing/listening pleasure. What a wonderful way to allow our students to hear the author speaking his own words! Thank you Mr. Gaiman!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

What a deliciously creepy tale! Love the characters, love the imagery, and love the ending.

Now, on a personal note. . .

Every now and then, a book will have a phrase or passage that puts into words something I have felt and didn't know how to say. These are the kinds of passages that stick with me and make a character or story really resonate for me. There were a couple of these passages that stood out for me in this story--one speaking to how we see ourselves, and another describing a different type of love--one that may sadly be more common than it ought to be.

On Page 67, Coraline has just woken up in her "other" bedroom. "For a moment she felt utterly dislocated. She did not know where she was; she was not entirely sure who she was. It is astonishing just how much of what we are can be tied to the beds we wake up in in the morning, and it is astonishing how fragile that can be."

On Page 106, Coraline's "other mother" has told her again "You know that I love you." This sets Coraline to thinking:

"And, despite herself, Coraline nodded. It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold. In the other mother's button eyes, Coraline knew that she was a possession, nothing more. A tolerated pet, whose behavior was no longer amusing."

H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden

Have you ever felt like your schoolwork is killing you? Well, Otto Malpense has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a school that might literally be the death of him. The story begins as Otto wakes to find himself strapped into a helicopter flying over an ocean. Upon landing he is introduced to the strange island world of H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, an exclusive school for turning out world-class villains. There is no communication with the outside world. There seems to be only one way in and no way out.

------

My son (5th grader) handed this to me after he finished it and insisted that I read it. Before he finished it, he requested a trip to the local bookstore to purchase Book 2 in the series. That's recommendation enough for me! Vivid imagery, great adventure, cool characters and just enough mystery to have my son and I discussing what might come next. Looking forward to more from Mr. Walden.

Books into Movies

Want to stir up a heated conversation in a library? Start discussing movie adaptations of books. Now, as a general rule, I find that I usually prefer the book to the movie. Sometimes, how much I like a movie depends on which I did first--saw the movie or read the book. Very often, it seems that people are more forgiving of a movie's differences from the book if they saw the movie first. Whether you fall into the "love the book/hate the movie" camp or some other camp, one thing I've observed is this--when a movie comes out, circulation of the book at the library increases. Let me repeat that key phrase: Circulation Increases. With that in mind, I am perfectly happy to capitalize on a movie's popularity to promote the book. The following list is my running list that I plan to use to build my "Seen the Movie? Read the book!" display. I am amazed at the shocked expressions on some students' faces when they say "Look at this! Someone ripped off the movie!" and I point out that the book actually came first. Usually, they'll leave with a copy of the book in hand. Cool. Way cool.


101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Saw the Disney cartoon first, loved it. The movie led me to the book. Love it too.

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Saw the old Disney movie first, which led me to the book. Read it, loved it and then saw the re-make. My son and I both loved that one.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

Saw the movie as a child which led me to the book. The movie was not my favorite, but as it led me to the book--I was happy to see it.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Read the book and loved it. Too many of my students, ones who read the book THEN saw the movie, HATED the movie--so I haven't bothered to see that one. Oddly enough, students who saw the movie first, THEN read the book, were ok with the movie. Funny how that works.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Saw the movie first and loved it. It led me to the book, which I also loved.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Read the book first and loved it--the descriptions of the witches and their itchy scalps still gives me a chuckle (and shiver). The movie was fun too, but I'll say I got more out of the book.

Spiderwick Chronicles by DiTerlizzi and Black

My son and I read the books (the first series) first and loved them. When we went to see the movie, my son was totally disappointed b/c they'd changed so much. I thought the movie was pretty fun, BUT not if you were expecting it to be true to the books.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Read the books first. Loved them. Saw the movies afterwards. Enjoyed them. Were they different? Yes. Enjoyable? I think so. Regardless of a love/hate relationship with the books, it is certain that, when a movie is due to be released, the books fly off the shelf as students (and adults!) scurry to re-read. Don't have much time to read 800 page books? The book-on-tape adaptations with Jim Dale as narrator are wonderful for car trips.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

I hate to admit that I must be one of the few adults who hadn't read this book before seeing the movie. I loved the movie, which led me to read the book. Loved them both.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Read the book first, but it was so long before I saw the movie, that there is a lot about the book I just don't remember. Did I like the movie? It was fun, but my son, who is way ahead of me on the books, didn't like this movie nearly as much as he liked the first one.

Goodreads--Great Tool for Readers

Many years ago, I started keeping a book log. In this log, I would write down the titles of books I'd read, maybe a few favorite quotes from the book and a few notes about what I thought about the book--or what the book made me think about in general. In some ways, my book log became a journal. Looking back at these lists brings me back to where I was at that particular moment in my life--metaphorically speaking. Technology being what it is, we now have access to some amazing tools that allow anyone with Internet access (and these days, that basically means anyone who can get to a public library if they don't have a home computer), can log in, create an account, and get started. Here's the address: www.goodreads.com What can you do with this site? Here's a small sampling:

• make a list of books you've read


• make a list of books you want to read


• rank the book from 1-5 stars


• write a review


• join a discussion group


• create a group to discuss reading topics


• invite friends to join and share their lists

To see a sample, take a look at my Children's and YA books widget, compliments of Good Reads. It's over on the right-hand side of this page.

Before you sign up, take a look at some of the other programs out there--Good Reads is only one of many. There's also Shelfari and Library Thing and many more--just use your favorite search engine and see what's out there. These sites offer a great way to network about books and reading.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Aza,15, is blessed with an amazing voice and wonderful family, but feels cursed by her size (enormous compared to her fellow Ayorthians) and her appearance (in her words "an ugly ox. . . a blemish". Working in her family's inn, Aza is surprised when chance finds her accompanying a crotchety, cat-loving Duchess to the royal wedding. Aza is even more baffled when her amazing talent for "illusing" or copying and projecting the voices of others leads her to become the new queen's lady in waiting. Her good fortune turns sour when the new queen forces her to use her gifts to deceive both her king and her country. Torn between loyalty to her homeland and fear for her family, Aza is drawn into an adventure that might just help Aza see beyond her physical appearance--if it doesn't get her killed by ogres, magic mirrors, or angry courtiers.

If you've enjoyed other works by Levine, be sure to read Fairest. Readers of Ella Enchanted will be pleased at the cameo references to Lucinda and Ella's best friend. Grades 5+.

Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

What do an earthquake, a toothache, television-watching dogs, claustrophobia (fear of small and cramped places) and a long-lost Uncle have in common? Normally, not much, until you meet John and Philippa Gaunt. These 12-year old twins from New York are about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime--and all apparently because their wisdom teeth are coming in early--well, that and the fact that they are descended from a long-line of Djinn. They get their wisdom teeth removed, their housekeeper's wish gets granted and suddenly, the children are on their way to England to meet an estranged (and rather strange) uncle--and oh, by the way, the world, as they know it, is in extreme danger. The Akhenaten Adventure is the first book in the Children of the Lamp series. The series so far:

The Akhenaten Adventure
The Blue Djinn of Babylon
The Cobra King of Kathmandu
The Day of the Djinn Warriors

To learn more about P.B. Kerr, check out the Kids Reads biography at:

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-kerr-pb.asp

The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

Josh has just moved to a new state with his mother and new step-father. He doesn't know anyone in his new town yet, but is excited because he just found out that he was selected to play on his school's summer baseball league team. The only catch? He can't play baseball that summer because his mom and step-dad have to travel to India. To make matters worse, he will have to spend the summer in a little coal-mining town out in the middle of nowhere with a great-great aunt he's never met. He figures he's in for the dullest, most horrible summer ever. The bus drops him off at a little general store (no bus station--town's too small) and that's when he meets his great-great aunt for the first time. The ride to her house is hair-raising--her old truck does NOT have seat belts (yep, the truck is so old, it was made before seat belts were required), which wouldn't worry him nearly so badly if she didn't drive down the middle of the road (instead of in a lane like normal people). When they finally arrive safely at her house (phew!), he's checking out the house when he hears a blood-curdling scream. He runs to the kitchen where he finds his great aunt chasing a bat. (She really doesn't like bats, and especially not in the house.) He's figuring that if they turn the lights out and stop moving, they can shoo the bat out the door or out a window, but his great-aunt is having none of that. She goes out of the room and comes back--with a shot gun--and shoots the bat. Do you think this turns out to be the dullest, most horrible summer ever? Nope. Add to this a stray cat, a one-legged ghost, and a mysterious theft and you have the the makings for a great summer-time read. Check it out! This book won the Intermediate division of the 2007-2008 Volunteer State Book Awards.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series--More Info

If you're interested in more information about the Percy Jackson series, drop by Rick Riordan's site at:

http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm


What's cool about this site is that it shows the cover art, talks about each book in the series, and offers links to video of Rick Riordan reading from the series.

I had mistakenly thought that Book 4 might be the last of the Percy Jackson books, having read in Horn Book that it was the "penultimate" book of the series. I need to use the dictionary more often. Turns out "penultimate" means "next to last". Good news for all of us Percy Jackson fans!