1.31.2014

Through the Evil Days: Review Haiku

Get cozy and be glad
you aren't outside, pregnant,
in upstate New York.

Through the Evil Days (A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Novel) by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Minotaur/St. Martin's Press, 2013, 357 pages.

1.29.2014

How to Fake a Moon Landing: Review Haiku

Preaching to the choir
in handy comic format.
Shelve this in high schools!

How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial by Darryl Cunningham. Abrams, 2013, 176 pages.

1.27.2014

NEWBERYCALDECOTTZOMGWTFBBQ

AND THEN THE INTERNET EXPLODED.

The ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced today starting at 8:00am ET. Wish I could be there in person.

#alayma

1.24.2014

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield: Review Haiku

Gorey and Belloc
for a new generation.
Love Winterbottom!

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield by John Bemelmans Marciano, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Viking, 2013, 144 pages.

1.22.2014

The Abominables: Review Haiku

The power of kindness
and yellow lorry drivers.
(Also: HUBERT.)

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson. Abrams, 2013, 272 pages.

1.20.2014

Heaven Is Paved with Oreos: Review Haiku

Not a sequel, but
a fine treatise on love and
regret. (That blurb, though?)

Heaven Is Paved with Oreos by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. HMH, 2013, 208 pages.

1.17.2014

Genius: Review Haiku

Publish or perish
with Einsteinian background.
Moody and thoughtful.

Genius by Steven T. Seagle. First Second, 2013, 128 pages.

1.15.2014

Donner Dinner Party: Review Haiku

This series rocks so
hard I almost don't have words.
Except: CANNIBALS.

Donner Dinner Party (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales) by Nathan Hale. Amulet, 2013, 128 pages.

1.13.2014

The Great American Dust Bowl: Review Haiku

History and
meteorology and
agriculture, oh my.

The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown. HMH, 2013, 80 pages.

1.10.2014

Salt: Review Haiku

Two boys, two cultures;
poignant look at man's inhumanity
to man.

Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost. FSG, 2013, 160 pages.

1.08.2014

Two Boys Kissing: Review Haiku

Not sure what real teens
make of the Greek chorus, but
this is wise, loving.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. Knopf, 2013, 208 pages.

1.06.2014

Reality Boy: Review Haiku

I would prefer to
believe people like Gerald's
parents don't exist.

Reality Boy by A. S. King. Little Brown, 2013, 368 pages.


1.03.2014

Zero Tolerance: Review Haiku

Smart, thoughtful, and real
take on mistakes and their
consequences. Good stuff.

Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills. FSG, 2013, 232 pages.

P.S. EXCEPT EXCEPT EXCEPT: Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen, not Auschwitz, as claimed on page 161. This is a) widely known; and b) TOTALLY EASY TO FACT-CHECK. RAAAAAGE.

1.01.2014

Dog Songs: Review Haiku

Start your year with a
dose of poetry, lovingly
swathed in dog hair.

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver. Penguin, 2013, 144 pages.