Book mojo!

Don't you love those times - I know you've had them too - when every book you read just seems to be awesome? You seem to go through your books so much faster because none of them drags, none of them sucks? I'm going through one of those periods right now. And I'm wearily excited because, inevitably, I know it will end. Eventually, I'll pick up a stinker.

For now, though, I'm enjoying the ride.



Here are the Harper books I have loved (and I'm soooo sorry about the pub dates!):

• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood (2.10)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (3.10) - I was not prepared for how compelling this would be. I'm still thinking about it days after I finished it.
  

• Splendor (final book in The Luxe series) by Anna Godbersen (10.09)

Here are the non-Harper books I have equally loved:

• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) - Finally read it! And it was so worth the wait. Incredible, incredible stuff.
  
  
  
  
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• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (9.09, Scholastic) - Equally as incredible
  
  
  
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• Liar by Justine Larbalestier (9.09, Bloomsbury) - The jacket controversy seems to have overshadowed the fact that this is a well-crafted, fascinating suspense thriller. Read it.
  
  
  
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• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Holt) - How can this NOT have something shiny on it come January?
  
  
• Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by David Roberts (Candlewick)

Great summer for reading! Now, all I need to do is get my hands on Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma (per Molly's recommendation) and Winter's End by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, translated by Anthea Bell (per Chris Shoemaker's recommendation) and my August will ROCK!

Most Improved Cover 2008: The Glitch in Sleep

Here is the cover for the 2007 hardcover edition of The Seems: Glitch in Sleep by John Hulme and Michael Wexler (Bloomsbury USA):

It left me scratching my head. It's very busy with the pipes at the top (are they pipes?), the lettering, the wrench, the saying around the wrench, and then the houses. Wha...?

Then came the 2008 paperback edition (Bloomsbury USA):

Much improved, dontchya think? It has much more kid appeal. And apparently Bloomsbury USA realized this because here is the 2008 hardcover sequel, The Split Second:

Bravo to Bloomsbury! And just in case you haven't had enough, look at THIS*:

* Taken from the authors' website: The Seems.

Foodie Books for Kids: Madame Pamplemousse and her Incredible Edibles

Do you talk with young fans of the movie Ratatouille? Maybe…maybe not…as it was *such* an adult film. Nevertheless, Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher (Bloomsbury USA, 2008) is a good book recommendation for those kids that love food, Paris, Ratatouille, dastardly villains, quaint stories…or a combination of these.

Madeleine (of course!) spends every summer working for her sinister Uncle Lard in his touristy, despicable Paris restaurant, The Squealing Pig. Naturally, Madeleine would slaughter Uncle Lard should they be pitted against each other in an Iron Chef competition…and Uncle Lard knows this, which is why Madeleine is relegated to dishwashing and errand-running all summer long. It is on a shopping trip for pâté that she follows a white cat (yes, there’s totally a parallel between this and Lewis Carroll’s White Rabbit) into a rundown shop tucked away in a dark alley. Madeleine meets Madame Pamplemousse who gives her “Pâté of North Atlantic Sea Serpent with Green Peppercorn Mustard”. Afraid of Mme Pamplemousse, Madeleine quickly pays for the pâté and runs away. Unbeknownst to Uncle Lard, the mysterious pâté is fed to his customers. They swoon, mistake Uncle Lard as the chef responsible, and he skyrockets to super-stardom in the Parisian restaurant scene.

What follows is something very similar to Ratatouille: eventually, the world finds out that Madeleine is a great cook and Uncle Lard is a fraud. We find out that Mme Pamplemousse’s edibles evoke warm memories and feelings in those who eat it (Remember the scene in Ratatouille when the critic remembers scenes from his boyhood upon eating a bite of Remy’s ratatouille dish?). Naturally, the ending is happy and lovely.

You librarians will know what I’m talking about when I say this is not a “circbuster”. However, it shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a frothy, light gem of a story, perfect for the more serious and quieter intermediate reader who wants a cozy read. It has a delicate, subtle quality to it that we often associate with la belle France.

The illustrations by Sue Hellard suit the story perfectly – they have that refined line and quality that remind one of picture book art from another era. Some might find it odd that Uncle Lard is drawn as an anthropomorphic pig and the food critic (again, Ratatouille anyone?) is drawn as a weird beak-nosed, sunglass-wearing creature; this could confuse young readers. Ultimately, though, I enjoyed Hellard’s approach: I don’t believe Uncle Lard or Monsieur Langoustine actually looks like this, but Hellard was capturing their core personalities and depicting them physically. It’s quirky…which is so French.

The food writing? Wonderful. Kingfisher describes fantastical bottles in Mme Pamplemousse’s shop and the reader will wish they could peruse the shop themselves, exploring its nooks and crannies and all the food within. There are two passages that I particularly loved, and I want to share them both. Here is the first:

It took a moment for her to adjust to the candlelight, but what she noticed first was the smell. A cool, musty odour, like the air in an old church – but one that was made entirely out of cheese. She could detect a deeper, spicier note beneath that was warm and exotic and reminded her of a Middle Eastern bazaar. But that was not all, for Madeleine had a highly developed nose; there was also a scent like lavender that has been drying in hot sunlight.

Um, I can’t recall ever before getting such a tremendous sense of place through the smells described to me in a book. But I certainly did here. And the second passage:

But even though Madame Pamplemousse sells the most delicious food ever tasted, her shop is by no means famous in the city of Paris. And nor would she ever want it to be. For she makes enough to get by and is happy each day to awake at dawn, drink a small black coffee and open up her shop, serving her customers and meeting with her suppliers. And come sundown she likes nothing better than to sit on her balcony above the rooftops with her cat, Camembert, discussing the day’s events over a bottle of Violet-Petal Wine.

Now, I don’t know what Violet-Petal Wine is but don’t you wish you could try some??? Me too. This is about the only passage that delves into Mme Pamplemousse’s character, but it’s just the perfect amount. It’s restrained, telling you enough but not too much. Again, so French.

I loved this book, and it might just be my favorite non-picture foodie book for kids thus far. Which is saying a tremendous amount, as I loved Dear Julia and The Year the Swallows Came Early. In fact, I might be doing all three of these books a disservice by comparing them, as they are all so very different from one another. Want to read good food writing and a book for young people? Madame Pamplemousse, Dear Julia, and The Year the Swallows Came Early are the go-to recently published books.

Eat, drink, and dream of Violet-Petal Wine.

National Book Award winner

As anyone involved in children's literature knows, last night the National Book Award was announced and What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell won. Congratulations!

I haven't read the book yet; as it stands, I have The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks in my book bag, and The Underneath is sitting at my desk, waiting for me. So it might be awhile before I get to What I Saw...

However, I do want to note how frustrated I get when I see the cover for What I Saw and How I Lied because it should have been the cover for Ten Cents a Dance:

The cover for Ten Cents a Dance just isn't as impactful as it could have been (which I discussed in my review), and this cover -

- is exactly what I wished for Ten Cents a Dance. Luckily, Christine Fletcher's excellent sense of time, place, and character rise above the less-than-stellar cover.

More foodie books for kids

It’s official – food has infiltrated children’s literature! And children’s lives! Kids are hearing about nutrition and obesity in schools; they’re studying the food pyramid and doing more physical activity. Numerous organizations are diligently working to improve school lunches in our country. Even Brian Jacques, during his wildly entertaining speech at NYPL’s Bookfest (see Betsy’s recap), spent a significant amount of time discussing the role of food and feasts in his Redwall series.

So it’s not surprising that I have a list of food-related children’s books I’m currently trying to read:

- Madame Pamplemousse and her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher, illustrated by Sue Hellard (Oct 2008). I have yet to see a copy, but Booklist compared it to Roald Dahl’s work and Kirkus gave it a star. How darling is that cover?

- Kitchen Dance by Maurie Manning (Oct 2008). This is the one I’m most looking forward to – it just looks and sounds jubilant. The reviews are glowing. Quite frankly, I’m hoping that it will reflect the kitchen in my own home, where I’ve laughed endlessly with Adam, where I have sung the entire High School Musical catalog with Kiddo while emptying the dishwasher, and where we always end up hanging out with guests…even though the kitchen is closed off, tiny, and barely fits 4 people. I have high hopes that this book will celebrate the kitchen as the center of a family’s life.

- Little Bunny Can Bake by Janet Stein (March 2009). I heard about this one at the Random House Spring 2009 preview so I haven’t seen it yet. It’s another darling cover.

Unrelated to this particular title, I do have to ask – what’s with the baking trend? Why is it kids and baking are always paired together but cooking gets shorted? I just find that inexplicable. Perhaps publishers are hesitant because of the sharp-knives-so-we-have-to-include-a-safety-warning thing? Disturbing to see a bunny wielding a 10-inch wide-blade Wüsthof (god, I love mine)? I can’t speak for all kids, but I can tell you that Kiddo had just as much fun watching the gratins get crispy in the oven last night as she would have watching cookies bake. And I didn’t have to compete with a sugar crash. The food and the book itself do not necessarily need to be precious to have kid appeal.

- The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (Feb 2009). I picked this up at the HarperCollins Spring 2009 preview and have yet to read it. It does trump my earlier question – the main character, an 11-year-old girl, cooks. I like that this one is a full-fledged fiction title and, as soon as I’m finished reading Suite Scarlett, I’m reading this one. An early review is already up at Kidliterate.

One more question: where are the boys cooking? Are we only to look to Sam Stern as the bastion of young males in the kitchen?

Eat, drink, and share food and books with our children


NOTE: Here are my previous posts on foodie books for kids: here and here.

What have you read lately?

I’m constantly plagued and haunted by how few books I actually get to read. I mean, if I were to be honest with myself, I really do read a lot…at least, I read a very realistic amount, given my life circumstances. Nevertheless, I always want to read more. In an attempt to calm myself down* by taking stock of how much I really do read, I’ll do a round-up of my reading lately:

- Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and illustrated awesomely by Nathan Hale

I’ve already heard some criticisms – a colleague thought the speech bubbles didn’t match the actions taking place in the same panel. I don’t know, though, I just didn’t see that. Anyone that has met Shannon Hale can attest to her fantastic wit and cleverness, and I’m so glad that she has created a book that allows her humor to shine. Nathan Hale’s art is stunning – in particular, there is a scene when Rapunzel is shut in her tower, and it shows the various stages of Rapunzel’s grief. It’s incredibly well-done: poignant and moving without being scary. Additionally, there are moments when Nathan perfectly captures Shannon’s wit and really brings it to life. As a librarian, I’m constantly looking for quality graphic novels for the younger set, and this is one of those. It’ll appeal to the adventurous 8-year-old and the more independent 16-year-old.

- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Just what the doctor ordered. It was enormously clever, and the social commentary was spot-on. That Jane Austen was cheeky! Pride and Prejudice gets all the love because of Mr. Darcy; even then, I believe most of that stems from one of the men on my Top 5 List: Colin Firth. But I digress… Life has been insane lately and, since I’ve felt so out of control, Sense and Sensibility was a cozy, timely, lovely reminder that everything always turns out just as it should be.

- I haven’t read these yet but I just have to share that one of my Favorite Publishing People, Ellen Greene at Harcourt, recently sent me a packet of books. There were all kinds of fun F&Gs but, being the darling person she is, she stuck in two paperbacks for me: Organic, Inc.:Natural Foods and How They Grew by Samuel Formatz and A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France by Georgeanne Brennan. Given how much I loved From Here You Can’t See Paris, I think A Pig in Provence will be right up my alley. Thanks to Ellen and here’s to hoping that she gets her cute self out to NYC soon!

- Because I’m all in love with Shannon Hale now (as if I ever stopped...well, okay, there was that Austenland misstep), I picked up Book of a Thousand Days, which I’ve had sitting on my desk for months. So far, I’m loving it, of course. But I’m also waiting for it to pick up – the premise has been set, now where are we going from here? I’ll keep you posted.

And that’s my book round-up for now. I’m already plotting my next book…I got invited to an event this Thursday night – it’s a panel discussion with Molly O’Neill, Judith Jones, and others discussing Julia Child’s influence on the culinary world. I can hardly wait. So I’ll most likely be picking up My Life in France next…

Eat, drink, and be well-read.

* aided by the glass of Sauvignon Blanc next to me – is there anything else to drink on a 90+ degree day with 60% humidity?

Friday is my favorite day of the week!

Happy Friday, everyone! Truly, I am in the best spirits. The skies have finally cleared over NYC and we’ve been promised a stellar weekend, weather-wise.

In the spirit of Friday-before-a-holiday, today has just been full of delight (children’s books-related). First, I received my copy of Rapunzel’s Revenge (no, Liz, you’re the sweet one!) and I huddled down in my cubicle and read the first half already. It’s phenomenal so far – Nathan Hale’s artwork, in particular, is stunning. I’ll email you soon, Miss Erin, and we’ll chat.

This actually happened last week, but I’m only now getting around to blogging about it. Remember I blogged ages ago (okay, fine, it was just February...but doesn't that already seem like ages ago?) here and here about the book Graceling by Kristin Cashore? To refresh your memories, it’s an upcoming YA fantasy novel with adult crossover possibilities, pubbing in October. I really enjoyed it – the characters were richly drawn and the concept of the book was well-executed. However, when I got the ARC in January, it didn’t have a cover yet: it was just a white book with black writing. Well, the cover has come out and here it is:

It’s really gorgeous. The sword is silver foil with a reflection of Katsa, and the author’s name and the book’s title are in embossed gold foil. There also was thought put into the design of the back cover – it has a horizontal picture of the sword with the reflection of Katsa’s different-colored eyes in it. Can anyone else say Ka-Ching! Harcourt is promoting this big-time, as they should with a 75,000 first printing for a debut author. Luckily, the cover is fantastic and will definitely draw in readers. Thanks to Ellen Greene, one of my favorite publishing folks, for the advanced copy!

Food-wise, well, I don’t feel like making dinner so we’re going out tonight. Interestingly, we’re going to check out Uno Chicago Grill down the street from our apartment. We’ve stayed away because it’s, you know, a chain (in mind I just kept seeing images of Pizza Hut and Little Caesar's). However, this article in the Boston Globe turned me around: Uno’s was named Health Magazine’s healthiest chain restaurant in America. Who knew?! They even serve antibiotic-free chicken and whole grain pastas. I haven’t tried Uno’s since I read this article, but we decided tonight would be a good night. Uno’s is one of the few places in our neighborhood with outdoor seating and it’s definitely a good night to enjoy the nice weather.

Eat, drink, and have a lovely weekend, everyone!

It will be mine. Oh, yes, it will be mine.

Yes! I just got word from Bloomsbury's raddest editor, Liz Schonhorst (hi, Liz!), that my copy of Rapunzel's Revenge is on its way!

Now I can finally stop turning shades of green over Miss Erin's well-deserved good fortune!

Laura: A Week in the Life

So here has been my week:

Monday: Children’s Book Week kick-off breakfast, hosted by the Children’s Book Council. It was held in a bank. Really. Then I ran around NYU, trying to get registered for a Food Studies class in the fall as a non-matriculated student (I failed). In the afternoon, a preview at Little, Brown. That night, my last French class of the semester. Voila! Le fin!

Tuesday: Work. Homework. Dinner. Watch “Dancing with the Stars.”

Wednesday: Work. Homework. Dinner. Bath. Call Mom.

Thursday: Preview at Random House in morning. Back to work by 1:00 for meeting. Leave work at 3:00 to go to Kew Gardens Hills to see program with Kirsten Miller (she’s awesome). Come home. Make dinner. Homework.

Friday: Career Day at the kiddo’s school where I try to make Queens Library sound cooler than Google (Adam is representin’, too – I’m gonna smoke him!). Work. Dinner. Week over.

It’s been one of those weeks. And here was my dinner menu this week:

Monday: Adam flew by the seat of his pants while I was at French class.

Tuesday: Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe (thanks, Giada)

Wednesday: Grilled Shrimp and Spinach Salad with Honey Vinaigrette (courtesy of Cooking Light - some of the best-flavored shrimp I've had to date)

Thursday: Penne with Vodka Sauce (thanks again, Giada…I hadn’t cooked Giada in ages so I thought I’d revisit some of my old faves from when I was just starting to cook)

Friday: Friday is the one night a week we eat in front of the TV, and we uncreatively call it “TV Dinner Night” and it’s sort of become a family ritual. Not to mention that it’s become a fun challenge to design a dinner that can be eaten picnic-style in front of the TV. So this Friday, it’s nachos.

Stick a fork in me. I’m so done with this week.

Eat, drink, and rejoice in Friday

REVIEW: Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Ruby Jacinski is in a fix: forced to work in the packinghouse to support her ill mother and younger sister, she can’t see an end in sight. She owes back rent to the landlord, and her mother can’t keep food on the table. Pre-World War II Chicago ain’t an easy place to live. Then Paulie Suelze, the local bad boy, tells Ruby how she can double her weekly salary: taxi-dancing. Ruby, who wants to get out of the slums and likes a little danger, dons sequins, satin, and heels and starts working at the local dance hall. Most of the men are harmless, giving her a 10-cent ticket to dance with her, and then going on their way. Other men, though, have more sinister intentions. Ruby is soon in it deeper than she ever thought and has to rely on her scrappy and tough attitude to get herself and her family out the hole that she dug.

Page-turner: that’s the best way to describe this book. Was it flawed? Of course. Ruby gets into one scrape after another, and one contrivance after another gets her out. I was able to easily overlook this (I don’t claim that everyone will), mostly because I find Christine Fletcher to be a really wonderful writer (Tallulah Falls, her debut novel, is some of the better writing I’ve encountered in YA lit). She captures the time period – the jazz references are great – and, as a reader, you truly feel transported to the 1940’s. The characters aren’t one-dimensional; they’re complex and rich. Ruby’s choices are believable when you think about her age and her circumstances – your heart hurts every time she makes a decision that will land her in more trouble. Her mother is also an intriguing character: she turns a blind eye every time she’s faced with evidence that Ruby isn’t all she says she is. Out of love and necessity, Ruby’s mother wants to keep believing that Ruby is working the night shift as a phone operator. Ultimately, I loved the theme that, as you get older, you gather enough experiences – good and bad – that you are forever changed and you can’t go back to “before.” This is, in every way, a coming-of-age story, as you watch Ruby grow from scrappy kid to a mature woman.

Christine Fletcher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I recommend Ten Cents a Dance with enthusiasm to teen girls 14 and up.

NOTE ON THE COVER: Curiously, on Good Reads, this is the book cover on display:

I am curious about the change because I like the one above better - it's bolder and simpler, not to mention that it really gives you some information about the book's storyline. That said, I really like the title in red on the actual cover, and I also appreciate that they show Ruby's face, rather than featuring another decapitated girl on the cover. So I suppose you could argue each cover has its strong points...

ShelfTalker, Bloomsbury, and Editorial Anonymous

Okay, so I’m long overdue to do some children’s literature chatting. I have a couple fun things:

First, Alison over at ShelfTalker has riled everyone up again by asking which books were loved by everyone but you. There’s lots for me, but what sticks out is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (likewise, Great Joy), Wrinkle in Time, Artemis Fowl, Kitten’s First Full Moon, Stinky Cheese Man, anything by Giselle Potter. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying I loathed these books (okay, well, I did a couple…). I’m just saying that so many looooooved them and thought they were wooooooonderful. And I just didn’t get the big deal. Either way, check out Alison’s post – last I checked, there were 86 responses and climbing.

Second, Editorial Anonymous has a post up about why publishers don't seem to work more closely with librarians and teachers to publish the sorts of things we find important, useful, and interesting to children. After all, we're on the front lines, right? EA was honest in her opinion, which I happened to agree with. Think about your colleagues, whether they be teachers or librarians. Thinking? Okay, how many are dedicated to children, know children's interests, work with children all the time? Most of them, right? But how many can you honestly say are up-to-date, current, in-the-know with children's literature? Not as many, I would venture. At least, that's the case with me and my workplace. Likewise, most of them also don't understand or have access to the business of publishing. It is a business, after all. And while we might find a book useful for reports (why, oh why, aren't there more books published on Verrazano?!), if it's not going to also appeal to bookstores and other outlets, then the publisher most likely can't make a profit. And they need to make a profit to stay in business. Also, I argue that publishers make lots of effort to connect with librarians and teachers: conferences, publishers previews, sales reps, etc. Anyway, lots of posts over at EA on the topic - go take a look.

Third, remember I went to lunch with David Fickling last week? Well, what I didn’t talk about in that post was that I visited Bloomsbury Children’s afterwards. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure I did an internship with Bloomsbury back in 2005 when I had just earned my Master’s and wasn’t sure what direction I was heading in, and I have kept in touch with a few people there in the past couple years. Anyway, so I stopped by, mostly as a social visit. Naturally, I wasn’t there for five minutes and Stacy Cantor, editor at Walker Books, hands me a galley of her first solo book: Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning by Danette Haworth. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but I’m assured that this first-time author is very promising. And then, besides gossiping, the rest of my time there was spent trying to pilfer a copy of Rapunzel’s Revenge, Shannon Hale’s upcoming graphic. Victoria Wells-Arms, editor-at-large and mother of the cutest damn twin girls ever, had already left for the day but, when we stopped by her office, she had THREE copies of Rapunzel’s Revenge there. Oh, you guys, it’s so RAD - I couldn't stop delighting in the eye candy. Did I dare take one? Of course not, Victoria wasn’t there. Deb Shapiro, publicist extraordinaire, could hook me up. But she was out too! What does a woman have to do to get a copy of this book?!?! That’s right – I have to blog about it.

(And lest I forget to mention her, one of the best people at Bloomsbury is Liz Schonhorst who hooks me up with all my galleys, introduced me to the Flatiron Grill and Go Fug Yourself, and generally keeps me in the loop)

Eat, drink, and don't be ashamed to beg for Rapunzel's Revenge