Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Fourth Stall

Author:  Chris Rylander
Publisher:  Walden Pond Press (February 8, 2011)
Audience:  Ages 10 to 13 years
Source:  Copy for Review 
Fiction * Mystery 

Description from GoodReads:
Chris Rylander delivers a funny Ferris Bueler-style middle grade novel with The Fourth Stall.

Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does—he and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boys' bathroom, fourth stall from the high window. And business is booming.

Or at least it was, until one particular Monday. It starts with a third grader in need of protection. And before this ordeal is over, it's going to involve a legendary high school crime boss named Staples, an intramural gambling ring, a graffiti ninja, the nine most dangerous bullies in school, and the first Chicago Cubs World Series game in almost seventy years. And that's just the beginning. Mac and Vince soon realize that the trouble with solving everyone else's problems is that there's no one left to solve yours .

Every once in awhile, I pick up a book and I am really struck by the writing.  I need to admit this doesn't happen to me a lot.  I may like or enjoy a lot of books, but there are fewer books that make me envious.  This happened to me as I read through Chris Rylander's debut novel The Fourth Stall about two sixth graders who run a business out of a bathroom in the east wing of their school.  Mac, along with his best friend and business partner, Vince, help other students with their problems - for a price.  Business is booming until one day trouble arrives in the form of a 8 year old bookie who wants out but his "employer" has other ideas.  Can Mac and Vince help Fred and still maintain their business and friendship? 

Rylander has created a story for Middle Graders that is part Godfather and part Film Noir with some humor thrown in for good measure.  And he is successful.  Rylander has nailed the essential tropes that fans of Noir expect but not in a way that seems trite.  With a cast of well-developed supporting characters, and just enough twists and turns, both children and adult readers will find themselves eagerly flipping pages to discover how Mac is going to solve this problem. And of course, when you arrive at the end of the book, you will want to find out what further trouble Mac & the gang will face.  (Glad to hear that there will/should be a sequel.)

In addition to a well-written story, a great cast of characters, and humor, Rylander has managed to capture boys and male friendship in his book.  Mac and Vince have been friends since kindergarten.  There is certainly a strong bond between them, but what happens when certain things arise that seeks to threaten that relationship?


For as much as I love this book, the educator in me feels the need to voice one word of caution - because of the style, there is some violence (kids do get roughed up) and some questionable behaviors (most principals/teachers will frown on a business being run on campus by students) on the part of Mac and his buddies.  However, when I find a story I love, and want to share it with students, I remind them that we need to "respect the story" and that "I trust that the antics such as the ones from the book won't be re-enacted out on the playground".   Most children are then able to sort through acceptable behaviors to behaviors written to make the story more exciting. 

Overall, I love this initial offering from Rylander, and I am very excited to see how his work develops and grows in the future. 



To check out The Fourth Stall Blog Tour Week 2, head on over to the Walden Pond Press blog here. 


For more information on Chris Rylander, check out his website here. 


Thanks to Kellie and Walden Pond Press, I have a hardcover copy of The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander to giveaway.  This contest is open to readers in the U.S. or Canada only.  To enter to win, please complete the form below.

* Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays were started by Shannon over at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe. You can check out her Marvelous Middle Grade Monday choice and Giveaway Post here.

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section, you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.  Comments with personal information will be deleted.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. PDT on April 11, 2011 to 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 18th.
3.  You DO NOT need to be a follower of this blog to enter.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
6.  Only US and Canadian participants may enter the contest.

Book Review: Cryer's Cross

Author:  Lisa McMann
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster (February 8, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: Personal Copy
Fiction*Paranormal*Mystery

Description from GoodReads:
The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

When I first read WAKE by Lisa McMann, I think I started it at 11 at night and finished it a couple of hours later.  I was struck by her writing voice.  It was different and I found it unique.  Of course, when I heard Lisa talk about Cryer's Cross at a Wake/Fade/Gone book signing (a year before Cryer's Cross was released), I knew I wanted to read it.  


Immediately upon starting Cryer's Cross, I felt drawn back into McMann's unique writing voice though this book is in many ways different from the Wake Series.  From the beginning of the book, I felt as if McMann grabbed me and pulled me right into the story and the feeling didn't let up until the end.  And even then, I was a bit haunted afterward and kept thinking about it.  The main character, Kendall, is a quirky narrator thanks especially to her OCD.  It certainly gives her a unique perspective on the events happening in her tiny community.  First, there is a disappearance of a high school freshman, Tiffany, which pulls the town together as they search for her.  Then, just after the summer and the start of the school year, Cryer's Cross faces another disappearance.  This time Kendall's boyfriend Nico.  Things are complicated with the arrival of Jacian and his family.  Does this new boy have anything to do with their disappearances?  And what is happening to the teenagers of Cryer's Cross.

For me, Cryer's Cross had several elements that I truly enjoyed.  Less than perfect but relate-able characters, just the right level of creepiness, a mystery to solve, and a potential romance that doesn't just happen because the characters glanced at each other one time.  I also enjoyed the fact that the book never dragged on.  I have heard some mixed feelings on this.  Criticisms that McMann doesn't develop certain aspects of the book because it is so short.  However, I never once felt confused or that there wasn't enough information about something.  The addition of her main character having OCD also allowed McMann to write a few things in and have it be believable/understandable.  The small-town element of the story provided the perfect back drop to the story.  Rather than have non-existent parents, McMann writes in parents, and grandparents, and all kinds of small town neighborly connections.

When I arrived at the end, I found myself feeling satisfied that the story felt appropriately wrapped up.  However, parts of me wanted to hang out more, especially with Jacian and Kendall.  For fans of Cabel (Wake/Fade/Gone), you'll understand when I say that Jacian might just eventually capture your heart as well.  I think I might just have a new fictional crush.  For fans of Lisa McMann, you will love this...but I am warning you, it might be best to read it in the daytime.

Lisa McMann at Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica; Cryer's Cross Tour

 

Below is the book trailer for Cryer's Cross:



Here is a chance to listen to author Lisa McMann talk about Cryer's Cross:

Book Review: Basketball Belles

Author: Sue Macy
Illustrator: Matt Collins
Publisher: Holiday House (February 2011)
Audience: Ages 7 to 11
Source: F & G from ALA MidWinter 
Non-fiction * Women's History * Sports

Description from GoodReads:
This dynamic picture book about the birth of women's basketball will keep young readers riveted. Raised on a cattle ranch, Agnes Morley was sent to Stanford University to learn to be a lady. Yet in no time she exchanged her breeches and spurs for bloomers and a basketball; and in April 1896 she made history. In a heart—pounding game against the University of California at Berkeley, Agnes led her team to victory in the first-ever intercollegiate women's basketball game, earning national attention and putting women's basketball on the map.

Let me start off by saying, I am not a sports fan - especially not a basketball fan - but this book won me over.  Well, I'm still not a basketball fan but I am happy to be a cheerleader for Basketball Belles: How Two Teams And One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops On The Map.  While at ALA Midwinter, I managed to come away with a stack of F & G's (Folded & Gathered - think Advanced Reader's Copy but for picture books) from various publishers.  As I read them, I made stacks - the "well it is okay" stack, the "I definitely can use this" stack, and the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack. There were only about 2 or 3 in the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack and Basketball Belles was one of them. 

With Matt Collins amazing illustrations, I was immediately whisked back into the late 1890's.  Macy's story of Agnes Morley who was sent to Stanford in an attempt to make her "more of a lady" captured for me what it must have been like for a woman in that time period.  Having spent four years in the Amherst/Northampton area and surrounded by the rich history of women's colleges (Smith, Mt. Holyoke) it was exciting for me to read about this other piece of women's history.  By focusing on the April 4, 1896 historic game between Stanford and Berkley, Macy is able to delve deeply into what that experience must have been like for not only the players but for the spectators as well.  

Admittedly, despite Macy's well written text and powerful words, I had to read this story through several times because for the first one or two read throughs I was so caught up in Collin's illustrations.  Initially, I was just trying to imagine what it would be like to wear the kinds of clothes they had to wear in those days.  The long sleeve tunics and bloomers not to mention the shoes.  His attention to details fully enhances the text and captures the reader.


Skip the italicized part if you don't want to be spoiled (well we all know how the game ends...it was played after all in 1896), but this ending text very much sums up the book beautifully:

"Victory is ours!  We laugh and hug one another, beside

ourselves with joy.  We even give a cheer for the other team,

and they for us.  What a sight we all are!  Our hair is messy.

Our bloomers are torn.  Our faces are streaked with sweat.

This might not be what my mother had in mind when she sent

me to Stanford to become a lady. But I think that a lady can be 

tough and strong as well as refind and polite.  She can even

play basketball." - Sue Macy, Basketball Belles

As I mentioned earlier, this is a "Wow! Oh, Wow!" book for me.  I bought a copy for me, for a friend, for the school library, and keep shouting about it to anyone who will listen.  I hope that this book earns the recognition that it deserves.

Hot Off The Press! New Picture Books

On Sundays, I have been heading over to Vroman's Bookstore and checking out their wall of new picture books. I started doing this the day after Christmas when my flight back east was canceled and I needed something to cheer me up. Now my weekly treks have become something that I look forward to and hate when I have to miss them. It hit me today that I should blog about my favorite new picture book releases. Here are 5 from today that stood out from the pile:

A Pet For Petunia
Author/Illustrator: Paul Schmid
Publisher: Harper Collins (January 25, 2011)
Audience: Ages 3 to 7 years

Out of all of the books, this was probably my favorite book in the stack.  Petunia has a stuffed skunk and wants a real skunk for a pet.  She does her best to convince her parents that she should have one.  What happens when Petunia encounters a real skunk?

This is a perfect read aloud for young children.  Simple illustrations beautifully support the text.  If I was giving a starred review, then this would be one of them.

To watch the book trailer, click here.

Giant Steps to Change the World
Authors: Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee
Illustrators: Sean Qualls
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 4, 2011)
Audience: 2nd to 5th grade

I was a little skeptical when I saw that this book was written by husband and wife team Spike and Tonya Lee.  Celebrity picture books may sell because of a name, but what about quality?  The book starts off with the narrator encouraging a boy to "Listen to the voices of those who came before..."  There follows quotes from famous people but minus their names or images.  Qualls mixed media illustrations provide just enough to help make a guess at where the quotes come from.  I had fun trying to guess who said each quote but a child will need much more instruction to make the connection.  On the inside covers, each quote is listed with who said it.  This would be a fun discussion starter with older children. 

To watch Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee speak about the book, click here.

Look! A Book!
Author/Creator: Bob Staake
Publisher: Little Brown Book For Young Readers (February 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8 years old

Children will enjoy searching for a special item on each two page spread.  The sparse text uses rhyming clues to direct children to the item that they will search for.  Die-cuts on each page provide sneak peaks to upcoming pages.  At the end, the page flips up and encourages children to return and search for more items beginning with 1 cow, and ending with 12 red books.  The colorful sturdy pages will likely hold up in a home but frequent check outs from a school library and serious handling from small sticky hands may provide a challenge in a school setting.

To watch the book trailer for Look! A Book!, click here.

When I Grow Up
Author: Al Yankovic
Illustrator: Wes Hargis
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 7 years

This one made my top picks for the week partially because it made me chuckle, and partially because I really wasn't sure what to expect from Weird Al.  A little boy is eager to share about what he wants to be when he grows up.  However, his list is quite creative.  I liked the tie in to the child's grandfather, and the tribute to the teacher.  Hargis' watercolor illustrations are lovely and young children will also get a chuckle out of some of the career choices.

To watch the book trailer for When I Grow Up, click here.

Dear Tabby
Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 8, 2011)

Tabby D. Cat is an alley cat.  The various animals of Critterville send him letters seeking advice.  Each letter was formatted in a variety of styles/fonts.  Tabby in his own way provides just the right creative solutions to everyone's concerns.  Boots Whitepaw, a house cat, sends multiple letters about an over attentive owner.  Tabby dishes back a great response.  The twist at the end is cute.

Though I got a chuckle out this book and loved the ending, I imagine that this will be a tough book to do as a read aloud.  There is a lot on the pages that is essential to the story and the illustrations support the text well.  Recommend reading this in smaller groups.

MAX-imum Exposure - A 13 to Life Giveaway and Secrets And Shadows Feature

Author: Shannon Delany
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 15, 2011)
Pages: 320
Ages: Young Adult
Source: Advanced Copy

Description from GoodReads:
Nothing's simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she's seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she's suspected. With Jess' realization that the Rusakovas' mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group's choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite to free their mother - and those who Jess thought to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more...

This is sort of a review and sort of not a review.  I actually had a chance to read a very, very early copy of Secrets and Shadows way back in July.  A pre-advanced readers copy you might say.  As a result, I need to be cautious in what I say.  Somethings likely changed between the version that I read and the actual release copy that will be out in two weeks.  

Instead of a traditional review, I am doing a "here's why I am excited about the release of Secrets and Shadows" or "what I am looking forward to" post.  In case you are wondering, this is a safe post...I tried avoiding spoilers to both 13 to Life and Secrets & Shadows, though there may be minor spoilers for 13 to Life.  If you haven't read book one in the 13 to Life Series may I suggest that you go out, get it, read it, and then return?!  

Of course if you read it, then you know there was a lot of excitement at the end.  Delany doesn't hold back in either her first book or her second.  The world of Junction gets a bit more exciting and definitely a lot more mysterious in book 2.  The title definitely is a warning...there are secrets galore.  

Why I am excited for the release of Secrets & Shadows:

1.  Hot Boys with accents - who just happen to shape-shift into wolves (which also means that clothes are uh, um...optional at times...I didn't really say that did I?).  And if you are interested in hearing these accents, check out the interview I did with Pietr and Max yesterday.  Click here.
 
2.  Humor - yup, I laugh when I read Delany's books.  I love that she pokes fun at certain fads and doesn't always take herself seriously (in a good way).  The books for me are truly guilty pleasures.

3. The Cover - I like it even more than the first book and well though it was nice to have an early manuscript to read - it really isn't the same as a bound book with a really pretty cover.

4.   Though the book centers around Jess and Pietr - and Pietr's family - there are a lot of secondary characters in this book that add to the story and who I am becoming attached to.  Some that I like - Jess' dad & sister, Jess' friends Amy & Sophie and of course a few that I can do with a little less of, like Derek & Sarah but you have to have a few characters you don't like.  (Note: And there are some that you really won't like too.)


5.  There are secrets in this book.  Lots and lots of secrets.  The plot thickens and Delany draws the reader more and more into the world of Junction which turns out to be a whole lot more exciting than this sleepy little town pretends to be.


6.  The overlap of the Russian mafia, CIA, and the history/lore of werewolves which Delany has created lends a unique twist to the series. It also leaves you wondering at times who you can believe and who you shouldn't.  


7.  In this installment, we get to see more of the Rusakovas.  Who are they?  What are they like?  There is more to them than what you might have guessed.  And surprisingly, these reveals drew me closer to Max.  Yes, Max - not Pietr (though he wouldn't be bad to have around).  This was definitely a bit of a shock to me since I tend to stay far away from "bad boy types" and Max is definitely a bit of a "bad boy".  But read it and tell me what you think of Max by the end.


8.  Jess - the main character - she certainly surprises me.  She is bright, capable, and surprisingly good with a gun.  I don't know a lot of gun wielding female protagonists in YA paranormal/urban fantasy.  Granted it isn't like she carries one around all the time, but she certainly knows how to use one. 

9.  Did I mention hot boys with accents....*scrolls back up, yep, #1* - it bares repeating.  


10.  Finally, Delany's series is one of those books that I know if I start reading at night I will be up way past bedtime in order to finish it.  


Hope that gives you a few reasons to pick up Secrets and Shadows when it is released.  


Thanks to Shannon Delany - I am hosting a Giveaway in honor of the release of Secrets and Shadows.  Shannon is sending me a signed copy of 13 to Life (Book 1) and signed posters of 13 to Life and Secrets & Shadows.  I have decided to have two winners - 1 for the signed copy of 13 to Life and the other winner will receive the signed posters.  The first name I pick will receive the signed book and the second name will receive the signed posters.  Good Luck everyone and don't forget to pre-order Secrets and Shadows.

Rules for Giveaway:

1.  Contest will run from Wednesday, February 2, 2011 to Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST.  

2.  You must complete the entry form to be officially entered into the contest.  Personal information in comment section will be deleted.

3.  Contest is open internationally.

4.  Comments are not and appreciated but not required.