Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

Amelia Lost, by Candace Fleming, retraces the life and last flight of Amelia Earhart.  There has been much interest recently in Amelia Earhart, particularly as yesterday, July 2, was the 75th anniversary of her disappearance in the Pacific.  In addition, a well-funded expedition is looking for the remains of her plane off a small island.

Everyone thinks they know about Amelia Earhart, but reading about the details of her life, interspersed with sections chronicling the events of her last day, readers will quickly realize they know the myths, but not the true story of Amelia Earhart.

Candace Fleming's vast research provides information about people and events, both the good and the bad, providing the reader with chances to make his or her own judgment about Amelia. This approach provides a glimpse into the difficulties a woman faced in being taken seriously in a profession dominated by men. Amelia had to make calculated decisions to continue to fly and there were doubts about Amelia's piloting skills at critical times in her career.

There is no question that she was a role model for women, and the feats she achieved taught women they could do something other than get married and be a housewife.  Fleming provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse that reminds us that Amelia was a human being, not a myth, and helps the reader understand the context of the time and culture in which Amelia Earhart lived.

Brixton Brothers: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

5/5 stars

As a fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, I loved this first book in the Brixton Brothers series.  Steve is a big fan of the Bailey Brothers, reading and rereading every book in the series about two brothers who solve crimes just like Frank and Joe Hardy.  Excerpts from the Bailey Brothers books show off their famous roundhouse punch, how to find the best hiding places, and how to reveal the bad guy in front of all the witnesses, all while Steve is solving his first case and trying to answer these questions:

• Why are librarians chasing Steve through the library and all over town?
• When Steve checks out a quilting book from the library, why do the lights go out?
• Why has Steve been assigned a report on quilting over the weekend anyway?
• What is the mystery behind the mysterious Mr. E?
• Why does Steve want his best friend Dana to dress up like a gorilla?

These questions and many others are answered in the first Brixton Brothers mystery, The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.  Those who enjoy a good mystery, such as the Hardy Boys or Encyclopedia Brown, will have a lot of fun reading this book.

All Hallows Read

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewebkist/1027779/

Dreamed up by Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline, Odd and the Frost Giants, and The Graveyard Book, All Hallows Read suggests that people give out spooky or Halloween-themed books for Halloween instead of candy.  There are several book lists on the website, for younger and older readers.  If you are looking for a good book to give away, take a look at AllHallowsRead.com.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

5/5 stars


The Gollywhopper Games is a book for those who enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and who love doing puzzles.  Gil Goodson is trying to help his father get his reputation back and help his family move, after his father was fired from the Golly Game and Toy Company for something he didn't do.  Gil enters a nationwide contest to be chosen to compete in the Gollywhopper Games, a series of puzzles and events involving words, math, history, and physical tests within the Golly company's factory.

The reader can solve the puzzles along with Gil, and along with the national television audience watching all the players' every move.  Will Gil's encyclopedic knowledge of the Golly company and his devotion to his father win the game?

A View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

5/5 stars

I just love that E.L. Konigsburg won the Newbery Medal for two books, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in 1968, and A View From Saturday in 1997, 29 years later.  In between, she wrote many other books, full of unusual characters and almost unbelievable links between them.  I reread this book recently, as it is part of the Global Reading Challenge list from our King County Library System children's librarians.

Four students, previously unconnected, find themselves as part of an Academic Bowl team coached by a teacher who recently returned to the classroom after a car accident that left her a widow and in a wheelchair.  Each chapter is told by a different character, with the story tied together by coincidences, connections, friendship, and the team's loyalty to their teacher.  They are an unlikely team, yet they become friends and complement each other.  Each thread of their individual stories is woven together into the fabric of the complete book, as E.L. Konigsburg does so well.

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young

5/5 stars

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles is written in the format of a sketchbook, and in the voice of a 7th grader, Dodo, telling the story of her family's move to San Francisco and the transitions they all experience. Dodo sketches and tells her story in a notebook, beginning with their drive to San Francisco, highlighting what she already knows about herself, that she is a visual learner and she learns better when she can doodle. 

She has been diagnosed as ADHD, an attention disorder, but has chosen not to take medication so she can deal with it in her own way, if her teachers will allow it. Why do we make rules? And who decides who should follow the rules and why? Should we all be the same person, or should we celebrate and embrace our differences? Doodlebug (Dodo's new name at her new school) faces these questions head-on as she tries to fit in to her new school. She's made new friends, but will she be able to stay at her new school with its rules?

No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko

5/5 stars


Booktalk: The author of Al Capone Does My Shirts has created another unusual and character-driven book in No Passengers Beyond This Point. This sci-fi fantasy book follows three siblings, India, Finn and Mouse Tompkins, as they tell their story in their own points of view in alternating chapters. India, Finn and Mouse have just been told by their mother that their house is being taken away by the bank and they will be moving to Colorado to live with their uncle. The three children are shocked, especially when they are told that they are leaving the next day on a plane, without their mother, who needs to finish up her job and the packing. Their adventure begins on this somber note, but when they land in an unusual place called Falling Bird, what awaits them is not their uncle, but some choices about life, family, and what is really important. Mouse is a five-year-old genius, but even she is having trouble figuring out how they are going to find their way home again from the mysterious Falling Bird.

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

5 stars


Booktalk: Finn and four other kids have been chosen to be the first DHIs at Disney World, they are Disney Host Interactives, holographic versions of themselves who lead tours around the park. What they don't know is that one of the Imagineers has changed the source code for the holograph program so that Finn and his friends appear in the park after they have fallen asleep. Wally needs their help, some of the Disney villains, Maleficent, the pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean, and others, are part of a plot to take over Disney World, and then the world itself. Can Finn and the others stop the Overtakers from ruining the Disney dream? Great read for those who have been or who are planning a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, with many behind-the-scenes peeks at places which may or may not exist in the real Disney World.

The Secret in the Attic (7 Sister Mysteries) by Ellen Miles

Booktalk version: Ophelia and her sisters, all named for Shakespeare characters, live in a small town in Vermont, with all the characteristics of a small town: a Main Street, safe streets, and a haunted house. When Ophelia babysits for the new family who moved into the "haunted house" she discovers a real-life mystery that may have to do with the town's long history.

Full-length version: On the hunt for a good easier reading level mystery, I found The Secret in the Attic by Ellen Miles (author of the Puppy Place and Kitty Corner series that are very popular with my 2nd and 3rd grade girls), part of the 7 Sister Mysteries series. I found four titles in the series, with The Secret in the Attic being the first of the four.

Seven sisters, all named for characters in Shakespeare plays, are part of the Parker clan, living in a small town in Vermont. Ophelia is the narrator of the story, and through her babysitting job for a new family in town, she becomes wrapped up in a mystery in the town's supposed haunted house.

Ophelia and her sisters and the children she is watching, Toby and Gwen Frederick, play detective, finding clues and exploring the old Bascomb house, which the Frederick family has inherited. This mystery follows the standard pattern of finding clues, red herrings, and misconceptions, leaving the reader unsure of the ending until it happens. Suspicions abound, while spooky sounds, people and even the lights going out during a thunderstorm provide a mysterious atmosphere.

This is a good basic mystery for those learning about the elements of a mystery. The main characters are mostly girls, though they have varying personalities and are involved in everything from photography, police work, literary magazines, and sports, the book might not appeal to some boys. Fans of Nancy Drew style classic mysteries will find a similar style in this book, perfect for a 3rd or 4th grader interested in mysteries. I will add this to my recommendations to our 5th grade teachers for literature circles, but might add that at that age it might only catch the attention of the girls.