Dumpling Days

Dumpling Days is the newest novel by Grace Lin and an addition to her two previous books, Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat - featuring main character Pacy.  This is my first encounter with Grace Lin - or Pacy, the main character.  I am sure I would have more background on Pacy and her family had I read the previous two novels but this is a stand alone book that I could enjoy despite having not read them.  And I did enjoy it.

Pacy is American - born and raised - but her parents are from Taiwan.   For a month of their summer vacation, Pacy's family is going to Taiwan and she is not excited about it.  When they arrive in Taiwan, she yearns for the quiet of her small suburban city.  Taiwan is loud; she does not like her painting class, even though at home she has a talent for art; and she can't read or speak the language.

The story highlights the void in which Pacy finds herself.  She is American, but in her small town she stands out as the only Asian-American in her class, and in Taiwan people think she is Taiwanese and do not understand why she can not speak the language.   Lin does a great job of bringing Pacy's search to define herself to the forefront so that any reader who has ever felt lost in the middle can relate.

Pacy learns about ghosts in Taiwan, eats chicken feet and stinky tofu, gets lost, has her fortune told and struggles to find herself and what is important to her during her month in Taiwan.  But there is not a bad day that dumplings will not help make better.

This is a great read that I highly recommend.  It is recommended for grades 3 and up, and I think that recommendation is about right.  I think readers from ages 7 to 11 or so will love this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but all opinions are my own.  

Mr. Popper's Penguins

We just finished listening to Mr. Popper's Penguins written by Richard and Florence Atwater.  My children were excited to read the book after their grandmother told them how the book had been one of her favorites as a child.  The story was originally published in 1938 and is a fun read.  Mr. Popper is a painter in the small town of Stillwater but has always wanted to travel the world - specifically to the two poles.  Mr. Popper writes a letter to Admiral Drake, an explorer of the North Pole, who in turn unexpectedly sends him a penguin.  The Poppers name the penguin Captain Cook and the adventures begin. Handles are put on the inside of refrigerators, ice skating rinks put into basements, Captain Cook finds some penguin friends, and the Popper's have to find a way to support their new penguins.

My six and four year old loved this book!  They were so engaged by the story that we had to bring the cd's in from the car and finish it in the house because there just wasn't enough driving for them to get their fill.  We rented the new movie starring Jim Carrey this weekend and thought it was a fun movie - albeit very different from the book.  When I asked my kids which they preferred - the book or the movie - they both said the book.  Hooray!

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

  

The Penderwicks -this is definitely my favorite series I have read in a while.  At the start of the summer, I read the first Penderwick story and loved it.  A couple of weeks back, I read The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and I enjoyed it - but not as much as the first one. And I just barely finished the third book - The Penderwicks at Point Mouette - and, I think it is my favorite of the three.

  

I read Gardam Street a little bit ago so I am mostly going to focus on the third novel - but this is a fun one.  Mr. Penderwick begins dating, and the girls try to find horrible dates for him so he will want to stop.  Rosalind can not figure out her friendship with her best friend Tommy.  Skye and Jane swap homework assignments and must deal with the mess that results, and Batty befriends the new next door neighbors - Iantha and her son Ben.  

Point Mouette takes place in Maine at a beach house in the summer time.  Rosalind is off in New Jersey with her friend Anna and Mr. Penderwick and his new wife have gone to England for a conference/honeymoon.  So Skye, Batty, Jane, Aunt Claire and Jeffrey go for two weeks to Maine.  With Rosalind gone, Skye is left in charge as the OAP (oldest available Penderwick) - which leaves everyone nervous - most especially Skye.  The book weaves together stories of late night summer bonfires, broken hearts, new dreams and collecting lost golf balls while searching for moose.  

I feel like this novel really brought the three younger sisters - and Jeffrey - to life for me.  With Rosalind around (whom I love) the other sisters' stories were a little overshadowed and in this book all three of them "grew up" a little and their stories were front and center.  I guessed the major plot point from the start, but that did not leave me feeling that it was too predictable; rather I was excited to read more to see how it would unfold.  I thought that Birdsall wrote it in a way that was much more real and true to the emotions than I anticipated.  

This is a fantastic series and I highly recommend it!  This is definitely middle grade fiction - probably for around 8 to 12 year olds.  

The Princess Academy

It was a great end of summer for me -  a wedding, an extended trip to see family, our first family campout (a success!), and long days spent at the park.  Now it is back to school and I am hoping back to regular blogging.

A few days ago I indulged in re-reading Shannon Hale's  The Princess Academy - and it was just as wonderful the second time around. It tells the story of Miri a 14-year-old girl who lives at the top of Mount Eskel where they quarry linder.  Miri is small for her age and her father will not allow her near the quarry.   She is friendly and quick to laugh and no one would expect that her exclusion from the quarry is a source of anxiety for her.  The lowlanders give them little money for their linder and food is scarce - but despite this Miri and the people on Mount Eskel are generally happy.

Life changes for the people of Mount Eskel when the priests in Danlander divine that the future bride of the prince will come from Mount Eskel.  All the young girls from 14 - 18 are required to go down the mountain three hours to attend a princess academy. Everyone is apprehensive about what this will mean for the girls as well as for their society at large.

The story that unfolds tells of Miri's coming of age - learning to read, listening to and learning the language of the linder and learning to leave and appreciate home.  Hale's use of language creates a story with a strong heroine and words that create an enjoyable escape.

Wonderstruck

I loved Brian Selznick's first novel - The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  The illustrations and story are both amazing.  So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a review for his upcoming book - Wonderstruck -  at the blog Chocolate Air.  Read the review and you too will be excited for the September 13th release date . . .

Moon Over Manifest

The Newbery Award for this past year went to Clare Vanderpool's Moon over Manifest.  I just got it a couple of weeks ago and read it very quickly.  It is one of those stories that you have to keep on reading until it is finished - all other non-essential things can wait.


This is a story about Abilene Tucker who has lived life hopping on and off trains and living in and out of every city.  But this summer her father, Gideon, sends her back to live in Manifest - the town where he grew up.  Abilene has what she calls "universals" - because every town has them - the kids that think they are better than others, the ones that are poor, and the mix in between.  But in Manifest, Abilene learns beyond the "universals" and sees what lies in between.  

The story moves between the present - 1936, the Depression - and when her father lived there - around 1917.  The writing is superb and as the story unfolds we see a town of immigrants - friends, foes, pranksters and family - and what tears them apart and brings them together.  And in the process, Abilene unfolds the mystery of her father, and ultimately herself, with the help of Miss Sadie the diviner.  

This is a very well written story that is fun to read as the mystery of the town unfolds.  This is Clare Vanderpool's first novel, and it is impressive.  Her website reads as though she is talking to her best friend, which is very endearing.  I would say this book targets children 13ish and older and is a great summertime read.  

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

Memorial Day, to me, signals the start of summer.  I am very excited for summer - swimming lessons, backyard BBQs and popsicles on the front porch.  I just finished Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks : A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy and loved it.  It captures the essence of summer and childhood.

It is the story of four sisters: Rosalind (12), Skye (11), Jane (10) and Batty (4) and their extended summer vacation to a small cottage, located behind a large mansion, in the Berkshire mountains.  Their widowed father is a professor of botany and spends most of his summer in the background studying plants.  Meanwhile the four sisters set off on adventures of their own around the grounds - a first crush, a best friend found, a "bestseller" written and being chased by a bull. Birdsall is able to portray summer in its lazy filled days of fun - catching fireflies, climbing make-shift rope ladders to friends bedrooms, and playing games until dusk.  At the same time she creates characters that are relatable and fun.

This story is well written and just fun.  I highly recommend it.  Especially for a start of the summer celebration read.  For children, I think it is for the 8 to 11ish range - depending on the child you could go younger or older.  This book is the first of 5 books on the Penderwick sisters - the second is already out and the third was just released this May.

I hope to pick them up soon!

A Wrinkle in Time

Last night for book group we read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. First off, don't you just love the name, A Wrinkle in Time?  I do.  The visual imagery of time wrinkling is perfect.  Second, if you buy this book, I highly recommend trying to find one with the cover illustration by Peter Sis.   Peter Sis is great in his own right and his cover is very fun.  Some of the other covers I saw last night were not so great.  I know they say not to judge a book by its cover - and this book is great no matter the cover - but artwork by Peter Sis is an added bonus to a great book.

A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction story about a young girl named Meg, her 5-year-old little brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin's journey through time.  Meg's parents are both brilliant scientists  and her father has been off working on a project for a few years and has not been in contact with their family for some time.  School is hard for Meg.  Everyone teases her that her dad has run off with a mistress; her performance is poor in school; and she is awkward looking with glasses and braces.  Needless to say she is an easy teasing target.  

Everything changes when Charles Wallace meets Mrs. Who, Whatsit and Which when walking in the woods with their dog.  Charles Wallace, Meg and Calvin set off on an adventure through time and space to find her father and to fight off the ominous IT.

This is a classic children's literature novel - published in 1962 - and winner of the Newbery Medal.  The book group I attended is all adult women, and they all loved this book.  It is the kind of timeless book that appeals to both children as young as 10 or 11 and adults.  Ironically, several of the women from book  group remembered not liking the book as a child, but they all loved it this time around.

I love this book.  Read or re-read it soon.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I love picture books.  I always feel a little sad when I hear parents say "My child has outgrown picture books - they read chapter books now."  I strongly believe that one should never outgrow picture books.  Although as we grow older we will add chapter books, young adult novels and Dickens' classics to our reading repertoire - picture book reading does not need to end.  There is a lot to be gained from reading not only the text on the page but the pictures as well.

                                  source

One picture book that I love, and is clearly written for an older audience, is the 2008 Caldecott winner The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brain Selznick.  This is a 500 page picture book.  It tells the story of a young orphan boy named Hugo who keeps the time in an old train station.  No one knows that it is Hugo who keeps the time - it is his uncle's job - and he must remain hidden to keep the job - and thus shelter and food.   But when Hugo crosses paths with a young girl and a grumpy old man from the toy shop in the train station the mystery of a drawing from his deceased father begins to unravel.

The story goes between text and extended pages of black and white pencil drawings with incredible detail. In order to read this story both the text and pictures must be read for the complete story to come together.  Selznick's illustrations are amazing as is the way he combines the text and illustrations to create the whole.

I think this book would be great for children 8 or older and adults.  It is a fantastic picture book. But whether you pick up The Invention of Hugo Cabret or A Sick Day for Amos Magee - I hope you feel as I do.  That one is never too old for a good picture book.  


**  I went to Brian Selznick's website and saw that it is going to be made into a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and will have Ben Kingsley in it as well.