The Trouble with Chickens: Review Haiku

Canine gumshoe doesn't
look for trouble, but nonetheless
finds chickens.

The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin. Balzer + Bray, 2011, 128 pages.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother: Review Haiku

Cautionary tale
or instruction manual?
You be the judge, Mom.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. Penguin, 2011, 240 pages.

Okay for Now: Review Haiku

Hard-luck kid finds art,
love, and redemption in oddly
convenient ways.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion, 2011, 368 pages.

Half Baked: Review Haiku

Surprisingly funny
memoir of micropreemie
and her mother.

Half Baked: The Story of My Nerves, My Newborn, and How We Both Learned to Breathe by Alexa Stevenson. Running Press, 2010, 297 pages.

P. S. I don't know why all my posts this week are baby-related. I'm not trying to tell you anything, really.

The Panic Virus: Review Haiku

When fear trumps science,
everybody loses. Now please
jab my kids more.

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin. S&S, 2011, 448 pages.

Good Eggs: Review Haiku

Brutally honest
memoir on love, anxiety,
and (not) babies.

Good Eggs by Phoebe Potts. Harper, 2010, 272 pages.

Stuck in the Middle: Review Haiku

Stories don't really
go anywhere -- but OH,

the humiliation.

Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age edited by Ariel Schrag. Viking, 2007, 210 pages.

Withering Tights: Review Haiku

It's utterly ridiculous,
but would you expect
anything less?

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison. Harper, 2011, 288 pages.

Foiled: Review Haiku

Fencing prodigy
meets cute boy-slash-troll, and now
must defend the Queen.

Foiled by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mike Cavallaro. First Second, 2010, 160 pages.

Now give me your money.

ATTENSHUN PLEAZ: As of 5:00pm today, I am the proud owner of one mint-condition MBA.

Now to find the critical path to the bar.

Fever Crumb: Review Haiku

Post-tech dystopia
finds orphan Engineer
searching for meaning.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve. Scholastic, 2010, 325 pages.

P.S. Powell's lists a single subject: "sex role." WTF?

The Dead Boys: Review Haiku

You'll never look at
arboriculture the same
way again. Creepy!

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham. Putnam, 2010, 208 pages.

Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs: Review Haiku

DUDE. What part of
"NINJA FROGS" did you not understand?

Wicked funny.

Dragonbreath #2: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon. Dial, 2010, 203 pages.

Reckless: Review Haiku

Twisted, heavy-themed
fairy-tale horror about
love and betrayal.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke. Little Brown, 2010, 400 pages.

The Magnificent Twelve: The Call: Review Haiku

Ordinary boy

given extraordinary

mission. Whiz-bang fun.

The Magnificent Twelve #1: The Call by Michael Grant. Tegen/Harper, 2010, 256 pages.

Ninth Ward: Review Haiku

Magic realism
adds dreamy subtext to a
flood-ravaged nightmare.

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little Brown, 2010, 224 pages.

The Shadows: Review Haiku

A picture's worth a
thousand words -- but more than that
in Olive's new house.





The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1) by Jacqueline West. Dial, 2010, 241 pages.

Our Cybils 2011 MG SF/F winner!

Happy Cybils Day!

The Cybils Awards will be announced today! Check out www.cybils.com to see all the winners!

(Pay special attention to the middle-grade SF/F category. I hear their second-round panel was AWESOME.)

Animal Crackers: Review Haiku

Affecting story of
bullying, redemption,
and things up your nose.

Animal Crackers: A Gene Luan Yang Collection by Gene Luan Yang. SLG, 2010, 112 pages.

The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt: Review Haiku

Harmless sitcom-y
fun. Life lessons imparted;

just needs a laugh-track.

The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. Dial, 2010, 248 pages.

The Hidden Gallery: Review Haiku

A London adventure
for our favorite feral
children --plus, romance!

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #2: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood. Balzer + Bray, 2011, 240 pages.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Starts predictably,
middles unexpectedly,

ends delightfully.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. Knopf, 2010, 272 pages.

Note: Ahem. Hermione POTTER?!

Real Live Boyfriends: Review Haiku

Love Ruby despite
(because of?) her self-destructive
Rabbit Fever.

Real Live Boyfriends. Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver. by E. Lockhart. Delacorte, 2010, 240 pages.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins: Review Haiku

If Mary Poppins
were a pig. And shorter.
And completely insane.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by R. A. Spratt. Little Brown, 2010, 239 pages.

The Fabled [Fourth/Fifth] Graders of Aesop Elementary: Review Haiku

Punny collection
of life lessons without a
trace of "good-for-you."

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary by Candace Fleming. Schwartz + Wade, 2007, 186 pages.

The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary by Candace Fleming. Schwartz + Wade, 2010, 170 pages.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: Review Haiku

Not so much "funny ha-ha"

as "funny WTF?"

Nerdy goodness.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. Little Brown, 2010, 176 pages.

Matchless: Review Haiku

The saddest fairy

tale in the whole wide world
gets a new life. Lovely.

Matchless by Gregory Maguire. Morrow, 2009, 112 pages.

Note: Yes, I KNOW it's not Christmas anymore. Shut UP.

Invisible Inkling: Review Haiku

Bullies come in all
shapes, sizes, and levels of

visibility.

Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Harry Bliss. Balzer + Bray, 2011, 144 pages.

Bless This Mouse: Review Haiku

A mousey Moses
leads her people out of danger

and into grace.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry. HMH, 2011, 192 pages.

(Note: Now comes that post-convention time when I braggadociously review ARCs I picked up and read that aren't even out yet. Sorry.)

How Did You Get This Number: Review Haiku

Billed as a female
Sedaris; essays are fine
but just smile-worthy.

How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley. Riverhead, 2010, 274 pages.

We the Children: Review Haiku

Premise has promise,

but pretty weak opener:

way too unfinished.

We the Children (Keepers of the School #1) by Andrew Clements. Atheneum, 2010, 160 pages.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: Review Haiku

Never thought I'd want
to kiss Nellie Oleson on the mouth,

but this RAWKED.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim. It Books, 2010, 320 pages.

Watch This Space . . .

. . . for ALA awards news, live(ish) from San Diego. Or follow me on Twitter: @emilyreads.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus: Review Haiku

Picture-book royalty
give us a Veruca Salt
for our times. Sweet.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith. Atheneum, 2010, 128 pages.

Blast from the Past: Review Haiku

Even on old-timey-
village field trips, mean girls

are total bitches.

Blast from the Past (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #6) by Meg Cabot. Scholastic, 2010, 240 pages.

Bad Science: Review Haiku

Everything you know
is wrong. But don't fret -- everything

you know is wrong.

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre. Faber & Faber, 2010, 304 pages.

2010: Year in Review

Number of posts: 142
Number of book reviews: 128

Favorite middle-grade reads:
Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything
Forge
Turtle in Paradise
Keeper
Countdown
One Crazy Summer

Favorite middle-grade reads that were separated at birth:
The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place)
The Kneebone Boy

Favorite chapter book-y reads:
Bink & Gollie
Prime Baby

Favorite YA reads:
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
This World We Live In
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

Favorite grown-up reads:
Packing for Mars
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Marriage and Other Acts of Charity

Favorite sequels/series continuations:
Clementine, Friend of the Week
Bobby the Brave (Sometimes)
Ivy & Bean: Doomed to Dance
Ivy & Bean: What's the Big Idea?
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-Made Catastrophes

Best jackets of the year:
Forge
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
You

The Kneebone Boy

Countdown
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Book Is Overdue!
The Checklist Manifesto
Zombies vs. Unicorns

Books that, if they do not get some kind of ALA award recognition, I will eat my hat:
Forge
One Crazy Summer
Countdown
Keeper
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Bink & Gollie
The Kneebone Boy

(And YES, I realize I have completely ignored nonfiction. BAD Emily. BAD BAD BAD.)

FOUR: Birthday Haiku

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

Happy birthday to my Boy!

Smile: Review Haiku

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

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

Merry Christmas!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Good, The Bad, and the Barbie: Review Haiku

Rich, complex topic,
but jumps around a lot, no?
I de-toed all mine.

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact On Us by Tanya Lee Stone. Viking, 2010, 130 pages.

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.

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.