Kate's Tales of Books and Bands

It hasn't actually been particularly snowy or cold here in southern New England yet this winter, but if you are looking for chills, and lots of snow, try The Forgotten Girl , by India  Hill Brown (Scholastic, November 2019), a middle- grade story of friendship in the present, and remembering the past. Iris is feeling a bit fed up at her school in small town North Carolina.  She's having trouble getting her Step Team, and herself, the recognition they deserve (part of nasty pattern of racism at the school).   She has her best friend Daniel, though; they have been inseparable for years, in and out of each other's houses, having each other's backs. One cold winter night, Iris can't resist the lure of the freshly fallen snow, and signals to Daniel (they can see each other's windows) to convince him to sneak outside with her. Daniel's superstitions grandmother is terrified of snow, and its spirits who can capture children, so snow play is forbidden to him, and th...

In a world that's scary (more so today than yesterday even; I don't want a war with Iran!) and burning and full of hate, books give me some comfort.  And growing up book insecure (my family tried, but we were living overseas), a stockpile on hand is soothing.  But I have now crossed the boarder from soothing stockpile to source of stress, which was driven home to me when my son asked what I wanted for my birthday, and when I said "books are always nice" he answered "but you wouldn't read it."  And I was Sad. Also I'm worried about the structural integrity of the house underneath this pile. nb: review copies and library checkouts (lots of both) not shown In my defense, my retirement plan is to have a new and used children's bookstore.  So a lot of these will become stock, and count as an investment in the financial stability of future me :) But it is still too many. So in the coming year, I'm going to make an  effort to read these.  I'm no...

Today's the day for the announcements of the 2019 Cybils Awards Shortlists!  I'm the category organizer for Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction, and I'm so proud of our love list of seven books! Cog , by Greg van Eekhout The Dark Lord Clementine , by Sarah Jean Horwitz Homerooms and Hall Passes , by Tom O'Donnell Love Sugar Magic: A Sprinkle of Spirits , by Anna Meriano Sal and Gabi Break the Universe , by Carlos Hernandez Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky , by Kwame Mbalia We're Not From Here , by Geoff Rodkey Thanks so much to my fellow first round panelists: Debbie Tanner, The Booksearch Beth Mitchell, Imaginary Friends Jennifer Miller, Raise Them Righteous Sondra Eklund, Sonderbooks Now it's over to the round 2 judges, who have to pick just one to be the winner!  The announcement's on February 14. And if you think it sounds like fun to read over 100 elementary/mg sci fi and fantasy books, and pick seven, you are right and should apply to b...

For the past 10 years I've been posting reviews of kids and YA time travel and time slip books on (most) Tuesdays ( 413 of them to date ), and I thought it would be fun on this last Tuesday of 2019 that is also the decade's last day do go through the c 250 time travel books I've reviewed in these past 10 years and pick ten favorites published between Jan.1 2010 and today. It was indeed fun to remember all the books, and it was fun in a nostalgic way to be reminded of the close-knit blogisphere I was part of back in the day (we all linked to each other's reviews, for instance...), but boy is it excruciating to be confronted with my poorly edited prose!  I dash off my posts and hit send before I can change my mind, and it shows.  I am sorry.   It was hard to choose just ten, and I really wanted to include one from 2009 too ( The Hotel Under the Sand , by Kage Baker), but I managed...The links are to my reviews.  I will try to come back tomorrow morning to add pictures ...

Not surprisingly, I didn't find many reviews from this past week (there was nothing from me, for instance, because I was too busy playing reindeer games and eating cookies....).  But since I'm back home, and ready to commit to blogging more regularly, I didn't want this Sunday to pass without a round-up...As ever, let me know if I missed your post! The Reviews The 12th Candle, by Kim Tomsic, at Ms. Yingling Reads The Casket of Time, by Andri Snaer Magnason, at Bookworm for Kids The Forbidden Expediction (Polar Bear Explorers Club #2), by Alex Bell, at Pages Unbound The Girl Who Speaks Bear, by Sophie Anderson, at The Anxious Bookworm If We Were Giants, by Dave Matthews, at Say What? Minecraft: the End, by Catherynne M. Valente, at SFF Book Reviews Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidicker, at Jean Little Library The Storm Keeper's Island, by Catherine Doyle, at A Kids Book a Day Tunnel of Bones, by Victoria Schwab, at Bookishly Brittknee (audiobook ...

Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating today!  I hope you have lots of books waiting for you under the tree (many of our presents are enticingly book shaped) and lots of cookies (or whatever you like to eat) to go with them (but carefully; I was already careless with a book I'm giving and wanted to read first, and left it next to a cup of tea, which a kitten investigated, and now that book has a sort of blurry kitten tea paw print on it...fortunatly not a valuable first edition!)

I often find it annoying when people say they'd have loved a book when they were a kid themselves, mostly because they don't explain why and are just saying it as shorthand for "this book didn't work for me as an adult" which is fine, but why not just say that?   That being said, Weird Little Robots , by Carolyn Crimi (Candlewick, October 2019), is one I'd have really related to as a kid! Penny Rose is new in town, and has no friends yet.  In the shed behind her house, she starts making little robots out of bits and pieces of salvaged stuff (trash to those with no vision), and to her delight, they come alive!  They can move and communicate of their own volition! Then, after initial uncertainty, Penny Rose becomes friends with Lark, a neighbor girl.  Lark is an unusual girl, not just because she's an avid birdwatcher and birds bring her little gifts, and she too had no friends.  Penny Rose introduces Lark to the robots, and together the girls work to turn t...