12.29.2010

FOUR: Birthday Haiku


Remember when we
thought you couldn't talk?
You kinda got over that.


Happy birthday to my Boy!

12.27.2010

Smile: Review Haiku


This worst-case dental
scenario gives Raina
time and room to grow.


Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Amulet, 2010, 192 pages.

12.22.2010

Doodlebug: Review Haiku


Self-empowered kid
fights the petty injustices
of middle school.


Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young. Feiwel & Friends, 2010, 112 pages.

12.20.2010

The Charming Quirks of Others: Review Haiku


Wealthy, busybody
philosopher finds new
moral quandaries.


The Charming Quirks of Others: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon, 2010, 272 pages.

12.17.2010

Forge: Review Haiku


Queen Laurie pens
another gem. (Now it doesn't
feel so cold outside.)


Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson. Atheneum, 2010, 304 pages.

12.15.2010

In the Company of Others: Review Haiku


Father Tim stars in
Irish soap opera of love,
lust, fam'ly secrets.


In the Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel by Jan Karon. Viking, 2010, 416 pages.

12.13.2010

At Home: Review Haiku


Exhaustive, exhausting
minutiae of human
domesticity.


At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. Doubleday, 2010, 497 pages.

12.10.2010

Simple Times: Review Haiku


Macrame for the
clinically insane. (Kidding;
there's no macrame.)


Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris. Hachette, 2010, 304 pages.

12.08.2010

Dante's Divine Comedy: Review Haiku


The Cliffs Notes of AWESOME:
one hundred cantos in
black-and-white brilliance.


Dante's Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso, adapted by Seymour Chwast. Bloomsbury, 2010, 127 pages.

12.06.2010

12.03.2010

Into the Gauntlet: Review Haiku


Ten books and thirty-
nine clues later, and the answer
is . . . looooove. Okay.


Into the Gauntlet (The 39 Clues, #10) by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Scholastic, 2010, 176 pages.

12.01.2010

Ivy + Bean: What's the Big Idea? Review Haiku


Not a polemic --
just a kid's-eye view of
climate change. Lurve these two.


Ivy + Bean: What's the Big Idea? by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Chronicle, 2010, 128 pages.

11.29.2010

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth: Review Haiku


Further confessions
of a budding sociopath.
Plus, puberty!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney. Abrams, 2010, 224 pages.

11.25.2010

Happy Thanksgiving!


Please enjoy some delicious turkey.


11.24.2010

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown: Review Haiku


Never underestimate
the power of jealousy
and ninja s'mores.


Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Knopf, 2010, 96 pages.

11.17.2010

Troublemaker: Review Haiku



Wow, Leila was right:
this is a truly awful
book. (And that Barbie bod . . . !)

Troublemaker, Book 1: A Barnaby and Hooker Graphic Novel by Janet Evanovich and Alex Evanovich. Dark Horse Comics, 2010, 112 pages.

P.S. Huh. I coulda sworn Leila reviewed this. But now I can't find it. Regardless, I'm pretty sure she would hate it.

11.15.2010

Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon: Review Haiku


But did you do a
discounted cash flow analysis,
Babymouse?

Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm. Random, 2010, 96 pages.

11.12.2010

Bink and Gollie: Review Haiku


What I really want
to know is, how can I get
a treehouse like that?


Bink and Gollie by Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Tony Fucile. Candlewick, 2010, 96 pages.

11.10.2010

Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth: Review Haiku


Would've been more
effective if the creationists
weren't hillbillies.


Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth by Sandra Dutton. HMH, 2010, 134 pages.

11.08.2010

Finally: Review Haiku


Random acts of kindness
don't really add up to
anything, alas.



Finally by Wendy Mass. Scholastic, 2010, 296 pages.

11.05.2010

11.01.2010

Halloween cop-out


I am woefully behind in reading, so I offer instead this picture of my Hermione and my robot.


Enjoy.


10.29.2010

What Happened on Fox Street: Review Haiku


Does it make me a
bad person if I liked this
but didn't love it?


What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstrubb. Balzer + Bray, 2010, 224 pages.

10.27.2010

Mockingbird: Review Haiku


How do you make sense
of the senseless? Asperger's
story of grief, hope.


Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine. Philomel, 2010, 235 pages.


P.S. Yes. The Eagle Scout thing. But for some reason I spent the first fifty pages thinking it was a dummy chest (like "Annie, Annie, are you okay?" dummy), which seemed like a reasonable project.

10.25.2010

How I Made It to Eighteen: Review Haiku


Harrowing, hopeful
take on breakdown, starkly rendered
in black-and-white.


How I Made It to Eighteen: A Mostly True Story by Tracy White. Roaring Brook, 2010, 151 pages.

10.22.2010

Zilch: Review Haiku


Nuggets of wisdom
snuck in among the auto-
hagiography.


Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business by Nancy Lublin. Portfolio, 2010, 246 pages.

10.20.2010

Big Nate: Review Haiku


Poor man's Wimpy Kid
takes delight in his under-
achievement. Still fun.


Big Nate: In a Class By Himself by Lincoln Peirce. Harper, 2010, 224 pages.

10.18.2010

The Vanishing Violin: Review Haiku


A few wrong notes, but
overall, a great puzzle fest
for smart tween girls.


The Vanishing Violin (Red Blazer Girls #2) by Michael D. Bell. Knopf, 2010, 336 pages.

10.15.2010

Zebrafish: Review Haiku


Gorgeous rich colors
tell of music, friendship, illness.
Great kid power.


Zebrafish by Peter H. Reynolds. Fablevision/Atheneum, 2010, 119 pages.

10.13.2010

As Simple As It Seems: Review Haiku



Unique topic makes
run-of-the-mill coming-of-age
worth checking out.





As Simple As It Seems by Sarah Weeks. Harper, 2010, 192 pages.

P.S. What does this jacket have to do with anything? She skips rocks like, once. The nightgown is good, but otherwise . . . ?

10.11.2010

Fly Away Home: Review Haiku


First adultery
novel where I didn't want
to punch everyone.


Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. Atria, 2010, 416 pages.

10.08.2010

Brains for Lunch: Review Haiku


Sadly, not nearly
as awesome as the title/
concept would imply.


Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku by K. A. Holt. Roaring Brook, 2010, 96 pages.

10.06.2010

Bone: Crown of Horns: Review Haiku


OMG I FINISHED
BONE. Now I am sad that
there aren't any more.


Bone #9: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith. Graphix, 2009, 224 pages.

10.04.2010

Just Let Me Lie Down: Review Haiku


Much of this is old hat,
but it will make you feel
like you're not alone.


Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin van Ogtorp. Little Brown, 2010, 259 pages.

10.01.2010

Sophie Simon Solves Them All: Review Haiku


Resident genius
unwillingly helps others,
makes friends. Plus, lemurs.


Sophie Simon Solves Them All by Lisa Graff. FSG, 2010, 112 pages.

9.29.2010

Cybils Cybils Cybils

Yes, it's true -- once again I will be a Cybils judge, for round II of the SFF/elementary and middle-grade panel. I am looking forward to dipping into the faery waters again.

(Actually, I'm just trying to build up my geek cred.)

9.27.2010

Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Z: Review Haiku


What? It's the only
book I've been able to read
for the past three weeks.


Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Z by Andrew J. Sherman. AMACOM, 2006, 288 pages.


(Or as I like to call it, Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . )

9.24.2010

Prime Baby: Review Haiku


Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Twisted alien sibling
genius. Sing-along!


Prime Baby by Gene Luen Yang. First Second, 2010, 56 pages.

9.22.2010

Scumble: Review Haiku


Sometimes clumsy, always
heartfelt allegory
of adolescence.


Scumble by Ingrid Law. Dial, 2010, 416 pages.

9.20.2010

Happyface: Review Haiku


Next time someone says
graphic novels aren't real novels,
give 'em this one.

Happyface by Stephen Emond. Little Brown, 2010, 307 pages.

9.17.2010

What Women Want: Review Haiku


Could've been good if
the author weren't such a
chauvinistic douchebag.


What Women Want: The Global Market Turns Female Friendly by Paco Underhill. S&S, 2010, 214 pages.



9.13.2010

Ling & Ting: Review Haiku


Is it wrong that I
kinda want to marry this
book? Adorable.


Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin. Little Brown, 2010, 43 pages.

9.10.2010

Keeper: Review Haiku


Heart-tugging love stories:
read 'em and weep.
(Bonus points for the gay guys.)


Keeper by Kathi Appelt. Atheneum, 2010, 399 pages.

9.08.2010

The Bedwetter: Review Haiku


Pretty much what you'd
expect: a few laughs, all of
it NSFW.


The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman. Harper, 2010, 240 pages.