Sidekicks

Captain Amazing is the greatest superhero around. Unfortunately, he is also starting to feel the weight of his age and decides to hold auditions for a new sidekick. Who better to take on the role than his beloved pets, who long to spend more time with their master and help him save Metro City from evildoers. But Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster's dreams may be cut short - Captain Amazing hasn't been too keen on a pet sidekick ever since an unfortunate incident with his cat Manny. Still, Fluffy is determined to make a difference and recruits Manny to train him and the Captain's new chameleon in the art of being sidekicks. But there is also a supervillain at large with a personal vendetta against Captain Amazing. Can these four pets set aside their differences and save the day?

When it comes down to it, Sidekicks is a fairly typical superhero story. But even if the story itself isn't completely surprising, it's still a ton of fun to read and will surely appeal to fans of the genre. The pacing is very tight, giving this graphic novel a bit of intensity that will keep readers turning the pages. What really makes this graphic novel stand up above the rest is author/illustrator Dan Santat's brilliant artwork. The pictures are incredibly bold and vibrant with just the right amount of extra detail. Color is used to perfect effect and really helps to set the tone of each scene.

But don't just take my world for it. Let this lovely book trailer entice you to grab a copy today:



Overall Grade: A-

Hidden

When she was eight years old, Darra's father stole a car. What he didn't know was that Wren, a girl Darra's age, was hiding in the back seat. Wren spent two days hiding in Darra's family's garage before she escaped, and Darra's father was taken to jail shortly afterward. Six years later, Wren and Darra meet again by chance at summer camp and neither girl is happy to be forced to confront their past. But slowly the girls begin to make peace with what happened as they share their stories and come to the realization that none of it was their fault.

From a narrative perspective, Hidden is a really fascinating book. The story is told not only from alternating perspectives, but also in verse using two different poetic forms. The style of poetry used really reflects on the background and mindset of these two very different characters. The first section of the book, told from Wren's perspective, is incredibly quick and intense as she describes her "kidnapping" and escape. The rest of the book is quieter and more psychological, but the complexity of Darra and Wren's emotions will keep readers engaged. Author Helen Frost does a great job of creating two characters that readers will connect with instantly, even when the two girls are at odds.

To Be a Good Reader

Not too long ago a dad came in to the library looking for ideas on how to help his teenage daughter with her reading. He wanted books with ideas for parents and teachers to help him with the instruction he was planning on giving her; books that would tell him what kinds of flashcards to make and with worksheets for her to complete. And while I was able to help him find what he was looking for, I felt compelled to remind this well-intentioned father of what I think is the most important part of becoming a good reader:

Reading. Plain and simple. In order to be a good reader, you have to actually read.

It might not be enough to just do the reading assigned in school. To be a strong reader, kids need to read on their own too, just for fun. They need to find books that they enjoy so they learn that reading isn't a chore.

The more you read, the easier reading becomes. Make sure that there are books in your house available for your kids to enjoy at all times. If you don't want to buy books (and even if you do!) make sure that your children have library cards so that they have free access too all of the books on the library's shelves. And then be sure that you actually take your kids to the library, and let the librarian help them find great books to read.

The father in question here actually seemed surprised when I told him all of this. I told him to bring his daughter to the library soon, and that I would be happy to help her find something to read. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we see the two of them again soon.



*I just want to throw in a small disclaimer here. Reading exercises and formal instruction can also be a great help to struggling readers, and it's a whole different ball game when a learning disability is involved. I just think that you can't at all discount the importance of books and reading for fun as a part of a child's development as a reader.

Warp Speed

As his 7th grade year begins, Marley knows where he stands in his school's social hierarchy. He's a geek who's obsessed with Star Trek and it feels as though he is invisible to everyone except for the school's bullies. Marley stoically prepares for a miserable year of being picked on - he's used to it by now. But as the year progresses Marley begins to attract more and more attention from bullies. Soon he's running for his life...until Marley's speed begins to attract some attention of its own.

My attempt at summarizing Lisa Yee's latest middle-grade novel really doesn't do the book justice. Warp Speed is a complex - but not complicated - story about one kid's middle school struggles. The characters, even the minor ones, are all very well developed. I really appreciate how characters from Yee's other books made their way into the story without ever stealing the spotlight from Marley. The bullying issue was handled very well, carefully balancing the poster-perfect "right thing to do" in this difficult situation with the reality of the bullies' harshness and their victims' helplessness. This book is honest and does not shy away from the realities of bullying, but somehow isn't completely depressing. Yee inserts plenty of happy moments too, including Marley's loving family, first crushes, and lots of nerdy Star Trek talk.

Overall Grade: A

Hidden Landmarks

When it comes to special summer activities at the library, I come from a long and proud tradition of the, "find-this-picture/object/stuffed-animal-at-your-library" game. The idea is simple: Take an object. Any object will do, but it's more fun if it goes along with the summer's theme. Hide it somewhere in the library - not tucked away somewhere where you can't see it, but someplace where you have to be paying attention to notice it. Invite kids to search for this object. Change the hiding place periodically to keep things interesting (I like once each week, but I once worked at a library that came up with a new hiding spot every day). It's a fun activity especially for kids age 8 and younger who come to the library often - the hunt is one exciting things at the library that's always changing. Best of all, it requires relatively little staff effort.

To go along with this year's theme (One World, Many Stories), I decided to hide pictures of famous world landmarks. Many of the landmarks were easily recognizable even to very young children, like the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China. Others were a little more obscure. I came up with a fun fact about each landmark, posted along with the photo, for extra educational bang.



Each week the kids could check in at one of the large bulletin boards in the children's area to see which landmark was hidden this week. The bulletin board also featured a large map of the world (I printed my large 57"x76" map in sheets from this website, and it worked great). As each landmark was hidden, I would add a dot to the map indicating where in the world it came from.



I don't give the kids any sort of prize other than my sincere congratulations when they find the hidden picture. I did, however, once work at a library that gave away stickers to successful searchers.