Better Nate Than Ever: Review Haiku

Totally implausible
and cliched, but a
hecuka good time.

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. S&S, 2013, 288 pages.

The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett: Review Haiku

Take a stand against
stupid unhelpful testing
mania, you will.

The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett by Tom Angleberger. Amulet, 2013, 224 pages.

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf: Review Haiku

Creation myths in thought-
provoking, nightmare form.
What to make of it?

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean. Candlewick, 2013, 80 pages.

Goliath: Review Haiku

The Philistines'
champion as a reluctant
middle-manager.

Goliath by Tom Gauld. Drawn and Quarterly, 2012, 96 pages.

The Truth of Me: Review Haiku

Little truths in a
little package. I want a
dog like Ellie, too.

The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan. Harper, 2013, 114 pages.

Bluffton: Review Haiku

Coming-of-age thanks to
Buster. Summers are better
with vaudeville.

Bluffton: My Summers with Buster by Matt Phelan. Candlewick, 2013, 240 pages.

Call Me Oklahoma: Review Haiku

Fourth-grade identity
crisis engenders
convoluted plot twists.

Call Me Oklahoma by Miriam Glassman. Holiday House, 2013, 123 pages.

Bo at Ballard Creek: Review Haiku

Little House on the 
Prairie for 'forty-niners.
I want to live here.

Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill. Holt, 2013, 288 pages.

Pastors' Wives: Review Haiku

Praise the Lord and pass
the sweet tea: rich, nuanced
women of/not of God.

Pastors' Wives by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. Plume, 2013, 368 pages.

Better to Wish: Review Haiku

I don't think I've
ever hated a father as
much as I hate Pops.

Better to Wish (Family Tree #1) by Ann M. Martin. Scholastic, 2013, 240 pages.

One Dead Spy: Review Haiku

Fast-paced and funny.
Who knew Hale was actually
a terrible spy?

One Dead Spy: The Life, Times, and Last Words of Nathan Hale, America's Most Famous Spy by Nathan Hale. (The other one.) Amulet, 2012, 128 pages.

Invisible Inkling: The Whoopie Pie War: Review Haiku

My favorite of the
series so far. Probably
thanks to whoopie pies.

Invisible Inkling: The Whoopie Pie War. Balzer + Bray, 2013, 160 pages.

Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat: Review Haiku

Such a tricky genre,
but Violet is worth getting
to know. Lovely.

Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat by Anna Branford. Atheneum, 2013, 112 pages.

P.S. Happy birthday, Cabana Boy!

Clueless McGee: Review Haiku

Poor man's Wimpy Kid,
but worth it for mac-'n'-cheese
AND a tuba. Fun.

Clueless McGee by Jeff Mack. Philomel, 2012, 256 pages.

Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: Review Haiku

Fast-paced what-if mixes
Whitey, lost Gardner art,
and Boston landmarks.

Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking by Erin Dionne. Dial, 2013, 256 pages.

Glory Be: Review Haiku

The Help for middle
schoolers: injustice as seen
through twelve-year-old eyes.

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood. Scholastic, 2012, 208 pages.

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp: Review Haiku

Raccoons, sugar pie,
developers, and Sasquatch
served up Southern-fried.

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt. Atheneum, 2013, 338 pages.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: Review Haiku

Don't we all want to
run away from prep-school moms
and our own failures?

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Little Brown, 2012, 326 pages.

45 Pounds (More or Less): Review Haiku

I wanted to root
for Ann, but I just didn't
like ANYBODY.

45 Pounds (More or Less) by K. A. Barson, Viking, 2013, 256 pages.

The Whole Stupid Way We Are: Review Haiku

Damaged kids feel all
the feelings, rage against
injustice. Heartbreaking.

The Whole Stupid Way We Are by N. Griffin. Atheneum, 2013, 368 pages.

I'm doing something stupid again.

Today and tomorrow, I'll be here.

http://nh.rtbrelay.com/

Pray for my knees.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: Review Haiku

In preparation
for another dumb race, a
classic on running.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. Vitange, 2009, 192 pages.

The Moon and More: Review Haiku

Sometimes growing up
means breaking away; sometimes
it means staying put.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. Viking, 2013, 384 pages.

The Potty Mouth at the Table: Review Haiku

If you can't say
anything nice, come sit next to
Laurie Notaro.

The Potty Mouth at the Table by Laurie Notaro. Gallery Books, 2013, 320 pages.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers: Review Haiku

A convoluted plot
concocted by short-sighted
criminals. Cool.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin. Scholastic, 2013, 224 pages.

The Thing About Luck: Review Haiku

A whole subculture
I bet you didn't know about.
Yep, she got me.

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata. Atheneum, 2013, 288 pages.

P.S. Ooh, and a great choice for Labor Day!

Platypus Police Squad: Review Haiku

Semi-aquatic
egg-laying mammals of action
are on the case!

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Walden Pond Press, 2013, 240 pages.

Heads in Beds: Review Haiku

I confess: I've never
tipped. I didn't know how
critical it was.

Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky. Doubleday, 2012, 256 pages.

Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace: Review Haiku

Bieber-esque kid celeb
chokes up, runs away.
Pancakes solve everything.

Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace by Nan Marino. Roaring Brook, 2013, 272 pages.

The Lucy Variations: Review Haiku

A cautionary tale
for tiger moms; a
love letter to music.

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr. Little Brown, 2013, 320 pages.

Rapture Practice: Review Haiku

Classic tale of P.K.
Gone Bad, with added pressure
of coming out.

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler. Little Brown, 2013, 400 pages.

Golden: Review Haiku

Overcomes "yeah, right"
setup to tackle richer themes
of loss, regret.

Golden by Jessi Kirby. S&S, 2013, 288 pages.

Time Flies: Review Haiku

Just the thing to read
right before my 20th
high school reunion*!

Time Flies by Claire Cook. Touchstone, 2013, 320 pages.

*It's tomorrow night, serious. GO ROCKS!

The Shade of the Moon: Review Haiku

Desperate times, desperate
people; yet somehow, they still
find a shred of hope.

The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer. HMH, 2013, 304 pages.

Counting by 7s: Review Haiku

Overlong but never
boring: endearing weirdo
finds her people.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Dial, 2013, 384 pages.

P.S. Be Eleven: Review Haiku

Turmoil within and
without, but Delphine stays grounded.
Surely she does.

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia. Amistad, 2013, 288 pages.

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen: Review Haiku

A reading contestmeans Kelsey must choose: read for love,
or read to win?


Kelsey Green, Reading Queen by Claudia Mills. FSG, 2013, 128 pages.

Period 8: Review Haiku

Starts slowly, then turns
mysterious, then HOLY
MOTHER OF GOBSMACK.

Period 8 by Chris Crutcher. Greenwillow, 2013, 288 pages.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong: Review Haiku

Robotics geeks and
evil cheerleaders team up
for mutual gain.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, 2013, 280 pages.

Happy summer.

Taking July off for rest, reading, and other words that start with R. See you in August.

A Thousand Mornings: Review Haiku

An excellent way
to spend a thousand mornings,
or maybe just one.

A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver. Penguin, 2012, 96 pages.

The Meaning of Life (Amelia Rules); Review Haiku

Have you not read
Amelia yet? If so, WHAT THE
HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU.

The Meaning of Life . . . and Other Stuff (Amelia Rules #7) by Jimmy Gownley. Atheneum, 2011, 160 pages.

Gulp: Review Haiku

Spit to poop and
everything in between. (Go ahead --
make a fart joke.)

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. Norton, 2012, 352 pages.

Carry me home to West Virginia

I'll be off the grid and very dirty for the next week, working with high school kids to repair homes with these guys: http://www.asphome.org/

Posts will continue in my absence. Think good thoughts for pleasant weather and no injuries!

Eleanor & Park: Review Haiku

Yes, it's nerds in love --
but it's romantic and
life-saving (really!) too.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin's, 2013, 320 pages.

Life After Life: Review Haiku

Love me some McCorkle,
but this was a case of
wrong reader, wrong time.

Life After Life by Jill McCorkle. Shannon Ravenel Books, 2013, 352 pages.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies . . . :Review Haiku

Another gem about
our favorite neurotic --
with one big loose end!

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night by Lenore Look. Schwartz & Wade, 2013, 192 pages.

What the Family Needed: Review Haiku

Superpower wish-
fulfillment at home: if Anne
Tyler wrote The Flash.

What the Family Needed by Steven Amsterdam. Riverhead, 2013, 272 pages.

Calling Dr. Laura: Review Haiku

Unfinished family
business becomes fodder for
a thoughtful memoir.

Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir by Nicole Georges. Mariner Books, 2013, 288 pages.

This Is What Happy Looks Like: Review Haiku

A classic daydream --
"A movie star loves me!" -- gets
the smart-girl treatment.

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. Poppy, 2013, 446 pages.

A Tangle of Knots: Review Haiku

When dystopian-YA
plot tropes meet a
middle-grade master. Sweet.

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff. Philomel, 2013, 240 pages.

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's: Review Haiku

Everybody's crazy
'bout a three-legged pigeon.
(No, not this one.)

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's by Barbara O'Connor. FSG, 2012, 208 pages.