Thursday, April 28, 2011

MINI RACER (Picture Book)

by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Bloomsbury USA, 2011


A Book Review by
Violet the Telekinetic Puppy


Ready, set, go! It’s time to read MINI RACER!


MINI RACER is a picture book about a race between lots of animals. Some animals race alone and those animals are a seal and a bear and a mouse and a bulldog and a giraffe and a monkey and a snail. Morzant will like this book because he likes snails. I don’t know why he likes snails but he does.


Some of the animals race as a team. There is a team with three dogs and a team with two cats and a team with four owls and a team with two rabbits and a team with two alligators, except that the team with two alligators might really be a team with two crocodiles.


All the racers have different vehicles and the vehicles are fun to look at. There’s a banana car and a carrot car and a wheelchair with rainbow-colored wheels and a skateboard and a tree car and a car that’s a wedge of cheese and lots of other vehicles. The carrot car is my favorite and the banana car is my other favorite and my other favorite is the car with spots.


The words in the book tell about how the racers race on bumpy roads and on curvy roads and on roads where they get stuck. The racers are going fast, fast, fast the whole time except for when they crash or get stuck or when they stop to rest and eat honey or pizza or a cheese wedge car. But then they start racing again. The book rhymes and when you read the sentences you can feel that the racers are going fast, fast, fast.


The racers want to go, go, go but you need to stop and look, look, look at all the pages because there are lots of things happening on every page and you will want to look at all the things happening because it is fun. You will see spotted dogs in a spotted car and a rabbit getting a band-aid after crashing and bees following the bear’s bee hive vehicle and the cats riding their bike on telephone wires and the mouse eating his cheese wedge car.


First one racer is winning and then another racer is winning but by the end most of the racers are walking or flying because they have crashed and wrecked their vehicles or driven them into a river or eaten them. I have a favorite racer and that racer is really two racers and those two racers are two rabbits in the carrot car. Do the rabbits in their carrot car win? Maybe they do, but maybe they don’t. Do they eat their carrot car? Maybe they do, but maybe they don’t.


I’m not going to tell you who the winner is or if any other racers eat their car. I will just tell you that the winner gets a big trophy. And you don’t have to feel sad for the racers who don’t win because I think they had fun any way except for maybe the giraffe and one of the alligators who might be a crocodile. On the last page when the winner gets a big trophy the giraffe and one of the alligators who might be a crocodile look mad. You know now that the giraffe and alligators don’t win the race but that’s all I’m going to tell you.


Here is a list of who will like this book:


Readers who like to race.


Racers who like read.


Readers who think a car makes a good snack.


Morzant.


Good-bye.


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Briar’s Journal (April 27 to May 10, 2011)

Dream Entry*

May 30, 2001


All my friends have gathered for a game of baseball. I’m pitching. Bigfoot’s at bat. I feel the ball in my paw, but when I throw it, it’s not a ball any more. It’s a book. Bigfoot swings and misses. I throw another ball that turns into a book, and another. Bigfoot strikes out. Morzant’s up. I strike him out. I strike out Penny and Norman and Beverly and three beagle puppies who can barely hold the bat. To celebrate pitching a perfect game, I go to the dugout to eat peanut butter cookies.


These are the books I pitched:



The books I pitched to BIGFOOT:


BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE by Emily Wing Smith

[YOUNG ADULT]

Dutton-Penguin

April 28, 2011


PAGE BY PAIGE by Laura Lee Gulledge

[YOUNG ADULT]

Amulet-Abrams

May 1, 2011


SIDEKICKS by Jack D. Ferraiolo

[YOUNG ADULT]

Amulet-Abrams

May 1, 2011


GIRL WONDER by Alexa Martin

[YOUNG ADULT]

Hyperion-Disney

May 3, 2011


THE LUCKY KIND by Alyssa Sheinmel

[YOUNG ADULT]

Knopf-Random House

May 10, 2011


MY LIFE, THE THEATER, AND OTHER TRAGEDIES by Allen Zadoff

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

May 10, 2011


THE PULL OF GRAVITY by Gae Polisner

[YOUNG ADULT]

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

May 10, 2011


YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME by Brian Meehl

[YOUNG ADULT]

Delacorte-Random House

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to MORZANT:


ALIENS ON VACATION by Clete Smith,

with illustrations by Christian Slade

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Hyperion-Disney

May 3, 2011




The books I pitched to PENNY:


SHINE by Lauren Myracle

[YOUNG ADULT]

Amulet-Abrams

May 1, 2011


THE CELLAR by A. J. Whitten

[YOUNG ADULT]

Graphia-Houghton Mifflin

May 2, 2011


THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL by Kirby Larson

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Delacorte-Random House

May 10, 2011


RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell

[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN TRILOGY]

Henry Holt

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to NORMAN:


UNSINKABLE by GORDON KORMAN

[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE TITANIC TRILOGY]

Scholastic

May 1, 2011


HAUNTINGS AND HEISTS by Dan Poblocki

[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE MYSTERIOUS FOUR SERIES]

Scholastic

May 1, 2011


JEREMY BENDER VS. THE CUPCAKE CADETS by Eric Luper

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins

May 3, 2011


THE DAGGER QUICK by Brian Eames

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to BEVERLY:


MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby

[YOUNG ADULT]

Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


WHERE THINGS COME BACK by John Corey Whaley

[YOUNG ADULT]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN by Sarah Sullivan,

illustrated by Barry Root

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick

May 10, 2011


THE PENDERWICKS AT POINT MOUETTE by Jeanne Birdsall

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Knopf-Random House

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to OLIVER:


POINDEXTER MAKES A FRIEND by Mike Twohy

[PICTURE BOOK]

Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


RRRALPH by Lois Ehlert

[PICTURE BOOK]

Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


A BALL FOR DAISY by Chris Raschka

[PICTURE BOOK]

Schwartz & Wade-Random House

May 10, 2011


BEE & BIRD by Craig Frazier

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to LENNY:


FUDDLES

[PICTURE BOOK]

Aladdin-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


HIDE AND SHEEP by Andrea Beaty, with illustrations by Bill Mayer

[PICTURE BOOK]

Margaret K. McElderry-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


BUGLETTE, THE MESSY SLEEPER by Bethanie Murguia

[PICTURE BOOK]

Tricycle Press-Random House

May 10, 2011


SQUISH #1: SUPER AMOEBA by Jennifer L. Holm,

illustrated by Matt Holm

[GRAPHIC NOVEL]

Random House

May 10, 2011




The books I pitched to VIOLET:


ITSY MITSY RUNS AWAY by Elanna Allen

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

May 3, 2011


BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE by Michael Kaplan, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch

[PICTURE BOOK]

Dial-Penguin

May 5, 2011


BABYMOUSE #14: MAD SCIENTIST by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matt Holm

[GRAPHIC NOVEL]

Random House

May 10, 2011



* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.

Monday, April 25, 2011

WHERE’S WALRUS? (Picture Book)

by Stephen Savage

Scholastic Press-Scholastic, 2011


A Book Review by Oliver the Telepathic Puppy


I’m going to tell you about me. Then I’m going to tell you about a book I like.


I’m telepathic. That means I can think thoughts to you. I can tell you something without saying words. If you think thoughts to me, I can hear them in my mind.


WHERE’S WALRUS? is a telepathic book. It doesn’t use words. It tells a story with pictures.


This is the story:


Walrus is in a zoo. It’s a boring zoo. There aren’t any visitors. All the animals are asleep. Even the zookeeper is asleep. Only Walrus is awake. Walrus has a small pool. The pool isn’t big enough for him to have much fun in. Walrus leaves the zoo. The zookeeper wakes up. The zookeeper leaves the zoo, too. He tries to find Walrus, but Walrus is a good hider.


The zookeeper should be able to find Walrus. Walrus is big. But Walrus disguises himself. He pretends to be a mermaid in a fountain. He stands in a shop window and poses with the mannequins. He helps workers lay bricks. He holds a fireman’s hose.


Walrus enters a diving contest. He does a fancy dive with flips. He wins. The watchers cheer. He’s not in disguise any more. Walrus’s swimming cap came off in the water. The zookeeper sees Walrus get a medal and get his picture taken. The zookeeper has a good idea. Now the zoo is full of visitors who come to watch Walrus do fancy dives with flips into his big, new pool.


I’m a beagle. Beagles are good smellers. If this were real life I would use my super-powered beagle nose to track Walrus. But this is a book. Walrus doesn’t smell like a walrus. He smells like paper and ink. I have to look for Walrus the same way the zookeeper does. I have to use my eyes. Even without using with my nose, it isn’t hard to find Walrus. But it’s fun. Walrus makes me laugh.


Now you know all about me and WHERE’S WALRUS? I’ll tell you one more thing. Zookeepers can’t find clever walruses, but I always find good books. And rabbits.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sherry Shahan, Interview

Tuesdays with Morzant:
Getting to Know an Author



MORZANT: Zulko, humans. Today I’m talking with Sherry Shahan, the author Bigfoot says he’d most like to dance the tango with. Sherry, until I prepared for this interview it never occurred to me that I have something in common with many Earth writers. Can you guess what it is?


SHERRY SHAHAN: We can fly without wings.


MORZANT: No, actually I was referring to the shared need scientists and writers have for—wait. Earth writers can fly? How did I manage to overlook that in my studies of Earth literature? I’m truly embarrassed. I’m usually extremely thorough in my research. In fact, “research” is the answer to the question I posed to you. I’m used to thinking of research as an exclusively scientific pursuit, but it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that research can be important to Earth literature, too. That’s why I’m thrilled for this opportunity to speak with you, someone who represents an amalgam of two of my own passions: research and Earth literature. Naturally you must research the topics of your non-fiction works, but it’s especially fascinating to me that your fictional works also rely heavily on information gleaned through research. I’m curious to know if there is any difference between your fiction and non-fiction research methods.


SS: Fiction, non-fiction, picture book or novel. I approach each project individually. Adventure novel DEATH MOUNTAIN was inspired by a personal experience. While attempting to summit Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., my backpacking party was caught in a deadly electrical storm. The pack mule and horse were struck by lightning and killed. When I decided to turn the experience into a novel, I studied the geological history of the area, as well as its animal and plant life. During my research, I learned how to make a fish trap and what plants my characters could safely eat.


MORZANT: A commendable research method and not dissimilar to the one I follow in my scientific pursuits, with the notable exception of exposing myself to the elements. I prefer my laboratory’s uniform climate to that of Earth’s erratic great outdoors.


Did the research for your current novel, PURPLE DAZE, include personal experiences as well? Please forgive me. I don’t know a more polite way to ask if you’re old enough to have been alive during the 60s.


SS: PURPLE DAZE was inspired by letters from a friend who was in Vietnam in the mid-1960s. I’d kept them in a shoe box nearly fifty years. Along with the usual research (newspaper accounts and other books about the era), I spent hours talking with Vietnam vets. Their stories revealed fascinating details not found in secondary research. One guy told me he hung hand grenades on the “T” handle of his truck’s front windshield for easy access. I knew that would go in the book.


MORZANT: You’ve already mentioned the dramatic events that provoked you to write DEATH MOUNTAIN. To name just a few other adventures you’ve undertaken in the name of literary research, you’ve ridden on a dogsled, surfed, kayaked and camped out in Alaska, and participated in dance competitions. Actually, I’m not sure that the dancing was research-related, but dancing in public is an adventurous undertaking as far as I’m concerned. On your Web site, you state that such experiences are “part of the fun of being a writer” and that it’s the author’s job to bring such experiences by way of the written word to the less adventurous, among which, for the record, I count myself. Alternatively, other authors I’ve spoken with have professed that an excuse to embellish the truth is their writing impetus. Are you ever tempted to write a story that requires absolutely no research whatsoever, maybe featuring magical creatures who exist in a completely fabricated world and who can defy the laws of physics?


SS: Even my picture books for the youngest readers, such as SPICY HOT COLORS: COLORES PICANTES, required research. The only way to taste freshly baked buñuelos was to make them myself. That’s how I knew what a bite sounded like. Research is part of my DNA (which I just looked up to make sure it’s all caps).


MORZANT: I’ve never examined my DNA for that trait as you have. But, like you, I feel that research is a part of my essence.


Many writers record observations and ponderings in a journal that they later refer to while working on their novel. In my scientific studies, I meticulously record observations and data on a Zeentonian device called a Mytronomar. I assume you document your research as you gather it in the field. Have you ever lost important notes to the elements or to a hungry rhinoceros?


SS: My “journal” consists of the back of grocery lists, cash register receipts, cocktail napkins, etc. My “filing cabinet” includes endless piles on the floor by my desk, the top of which is cluttered with Post-its. It’s a scary way to work. Raw and primitive.


MORZANT: That does seem a bit risky and in perfect concurrence with your adventurous nature.


You’ve written two fictional novels about young humans fighting for their survival in the wilderness. DEATH MOUNTAIN, which we’ve discussed, takes place in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The setting for FROZEN STIFF is Alaska where a shifting glacier leaves the main characters stranded without food in an inhospitable environment. Each of these novels contains an “Author’s Note” where you explain that the stories originated when you began to ask yourself a series of “what if” questions after your own exploration of those places. Alaska and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are settings rich with story possibilities. Do you ever find yourself asking “what if” in more mundane settings such as the grocery store or while napping on the couch?


SS: What if the battery in my alarm clock died and I never woke up? Could I write an entire novel while asleep? I scribbled that note on a matchbook cover, er, somewhere.


MORZANT: A novel authored by a somnambulist? That would make for an intriguing experiment. Please let me know if you ever try it.


Do you have any new research excursions planned? Ones you plan to maintain consciousness for?


SS: It’s sometimes dangerous to discuss future plans, because you never know who might be listening. Ideas, like fast-food mustard packets, are easily stolen. But since we’re such good friends I’ll tell you that I’ll be spending July in Istanbul. (I rarely mention how many times I’ve been to Cuba, because our Treasury Department frowns on it.)


MORZANT: Oh, dear. I was under the impression that those mustard packets were complimentary. I have so much to learn about Earth customs.


Speaking of future plans, Briar the Psychic Beagle asked me to pass along a message to you. I apologize, but I can’t seem to remember what it was. All I remember is that she said it was urgent. I hope it comes back to me eventually.


In the meantime, speaking of dangerous, I feel compelled to urge you to pursue less hazardous topics that won’t require you put yourself in jeopardy for the sake of research. Actually, because I suspect your brain isn’t wired to consider less perilous topics, I’ve compiled a short list of suggestions: cribbage, the use and history of rocking chairs, famous lepidopterists. And because you obviously enjoy camping, how about campfire activities?


SS: I’m getting a visual. Cribbage in a rocking chair strapped to the wing of a biplane at 20,000 feet.


MORZANT: As I feared, thrill seeking must be as much a part of your DNA as research.


On a side note, I have to ask about your “worst things about camping” list posted on your Web site. After bears, rain, and mosquitoes, you name the aggravation of “frogs in your sleeping bag” as a drawback to camping. I’ve never heard of the frog-in-sleeping-bag phenomenon. Have you experienced it often? How do you coax the slumberous amphibians out?


SS: Whisper sweet words where their ears should be and a frog will follow you anywhere. As everyone knows the eardrum of a frog is a large exposed disk behind its eye on each side of its head.


MORZANT: Yes, it’s called the tympanum. I have a similar physical trait, though I am not a frog.


You may be aware that I frequently bemoan the lack of gastropods in Earth literature and that I encourage the authors I interview to consider including gastropods in their future books. In your case, no such exhortation is necessary. While studying your work I was delighted to find your non-fiction book BARNACLES EAT WITH THEIR FEET: DELICIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE TIDE POOL FOOD CHAIN. It includes entries about sea slugs and snails. It also introduced me to a gastropod I was previously unfamiliar with, the limpet. Thank you.


I noticed that not only did you write BARNACLES EAT WITH THEIR FEET, you also photographed the tide pool creatures featured in the book. I then discovered that you’re the photographer for several other books as well. Is photography an extension of your writing or is writing an extension of your photography?


SS: Early in my career as a travel writer I discovered my articles were more marketable if I could provide images. Since I was already a hobbyist in that art form I thought, Why not? Many years passed before I decided to try photo-illustrated books for children.


MORZANT: There’s an Earth expression that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” As both a writer and a photographer, do you believe there is anything a photograph can contribute to story that is beyond the power of words?


SS: An emotion seen on someone’s face can be so telling, yet so difficult to convey in words. Emotions can even be captured visually with inanimate objects. It’s very tricky with words.


MORZANT: For some, photographs are as problematic as words. Bigfoot’s photography impediment prevents him from taking a clear photograph. Do you have any suggestions for what might be causing his inability to produce a decent photograph?


SS: The problem may be in the developing trays. And I suggest checking your dark room for light leaks. A dark fabric will fix it.


MORZANT: Those are excellent theories that I already tested. Since the problem persists in digital cameras as well, I suspected both theories would be disproved. Even so, as a scientist I can’t rely on assumptions and I was obligated to test the theories. I did and my original doubts were confirmed. That led me to hypothesize that Bigfoot’s photography impediment isn’t an external problem, rather its cause must be—I’m sorry. I tend to get distracted by this topic. Let’s return to our discussion of your work.


You’ve written several bilingual picture books: COOL CATS COUNTING; SPICY HOT COLORS: COLORES PICANTES; and FIESTA!: A CELEBRATION OF LATINO FESTIVALS. ¿Hablas español?


SS: No comprendo.


MORZANT: ¡QuĂ© lástima!


These books are informative, combining Spanish and English to educate young readers about counting, colors, and Latino celebrations. However, they also employ a playful use of language in the form of poetry. Further evidence of your interest in poetry exists in DEATH MOUNTAIN in that the main character writes song lyrics. It’s little surprise, then, that your newest novel is written in part as poetry. PURPLE DAZE is a young adult novel that presents a cast of teenaged characters in the year 1965. Interspersed with poems written from the points of view of fictional characters are actual quotations and details of real happenings from that year. Blending research material with fiction is your forte, but was there an additional challenge to balancing the facts of the period with this book’s poetry format?


SS: The historical pieces were chosen because I thought they added authenticity: a mirror reflecting the vibe of the sixties, politically and socially. When I read about Norman Morrison, father of three, who set himself on fire to protest the Vietnam war, I sat at my computer and cried. Later I included the story behind Arlo Guthrie’s famed song “You Can Get Anything You Want At Alice’s Restaurant.” I could have added more snippets from history, but I didn’t want PURPLE DAZE to seem text-bookish.


Ultimately, it’s a story about six high school friends during a tumultuous time.


MORZANT: I just now remembered Briar’s message to you. She asked me to thank you for not choosing to write about the year 1964. I deemed it imprudent to attempt to explain to her that even had the book been set in 1964, you wouldn’t have included President Lyndon Johnson picking up his beagle by the ears in a book with such serious subject matter as the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Hmm…that doesn’t seem like a very urgent message, does it? I wonder if there was something else she wanted me to tell you.


In any case, you very specifically chose to write about 1965 and how that year’s events affect the characters as they deal with issues typical to teenagers. As you wrote the book, did you feel that teenagers from 1965 would have a distinct appeal to today’s young readers?


SS: I don’t think about my readers while I’m working on a novel. With PURPLE DAZE in particular, I was completely focused on my characters and their sometimes humorous, ultimately dramatic lives.


MORZANT: Can you elaborate on the title of your book? My friend Norman the Half-Invisible Turtle told me it’s a play on an old song title, but it’s rarely advisable to believe anything he says.


SS: Norman is right on! “Purple Daze” is a nod to one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest songs, “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, released in 1967. For many, it’s his signature song.


MORZANT: Norman told me the truth? This is a momentous occasion! Either that, or you’re pulling my leg, too. In that case, I’ll need to reexamine your claim that wingless Earth writers can fly. Considering my past conversations with authors, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to find myself doubting the statements of even a research-obsessed storyteller.


Taking into account that you incorporated personal experiences in your previous novels, and putting aside my current apprehension as to the veracity of what you say, in addition to the letters you received from your friend who served in Vietnam what personal experiences did you draw from while writing PURPLE DAZE?


SS: Don’t tell my daughters, but like Cheryl in the novel, I used to crawl out my bedroom window in the middle of the night to meet friends. During the Watts Riots we drove the Los Angeles freeways looking for a break in the National Guard barrier. We wanted to see the fires and devastation up close. We were dangerously curious kids.


MORZANT: And you’ve grown into a dangerously curious adult. I’m almost afraid of how you’ll answer my final question. It’s a hypothetical question I constructed factoring in your penchant for adventure, your desire for firsthand experiences, and the interest in history you demonstrated by writing PURPLE DAZE: If you had access to a time machine and could travel anywhere to conduct research for a novel, where and when would you go?


SS: Seventy-five years in the future to write about my grandson’s grandson as an angst-riddled teen.


MORZANT: Your answer provides further evidence of your intrepid spirit. To my mind, there’s nothing so frightening as the future, except maybe a rabid Zeentonian Merflatulope.


Thank you, Sherry. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. And, thank you for joining us, humans. Until next time—wait a moment. I remember Briar’s urgent message for Sherry! Oh, dear, she’s already left. Well, I’m sure if she really does go skydiving she’ll carefully inspect her parachute first. Until next time, humans, good-bye!


Some of Sherry Shahan’s books:


PICTURE BOOKS

SPICY HOT COLORS: COLORES PICANTES

(illustrated by Paula Barragán; August House LittleFolk, 2004)


COOL CATS COUNTING

(illustrated by Paula Barragán; August House LittleFolk, 2005)


THAT’S NOT HOW YOU PLAY SOCCER, DADDY

(illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss; Peachtree, 2007)


FIESTA!: A CELEBRATION OF LATINO FESTIVALS

(illustrated by Paula Barragán; August House LittleFolk, 2009)


NON-FICTION

(Sherry is also the photographer for these books)

BARNACLES EAT WITH THEIR FEET: DELICIOUS FACTS ABOUT

THE TIDE POOL FOOD CHAIN

(Millbrook Press, 1996)


THE LITTLE BUTTERFLY

(Random House, 1998)


DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW: THE STORY OF THE JR. IDITAROD

(Mondo, 2007; originally Millbrook Press, 1997)


CURRENT MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

FROZEN STIFF

(Delacorte-Random House, 1998)


DEATH MOUNTAIN

(Peachtree, 2005)


FUTURE MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL

(as predicted by Briar the Psychic Beagle)

ICE ISLAND

(Delacorte-Random House, 2012)


YA NOVEL

PURPLE DAZE

(Running Press Teens-Running Press Book Publishers, 2011)

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Briar’s Journal (April 7 to April 26, 2011)

Dream Entry*

December 5, 2006


I’m napping in a corner of the library in a warm spot where the sunlight comes through the window. Suddenly, the warmth is gone. I look up. Bigfoot is blocking the window.


“The librarian needs some help with spring cleaning,” he says.


He points to the opposite end of the library where somebody is muttering about dusty rodents. I follow the voice. It belongs to a bald man in a white t-shirt standing by one of the shelves. He shoves a book at me: A History of Carrots.


“Try to lure them out. They’re eating the books,” he says. “And they’re multiplying.”


Even though I’m scared to find out what’s eating the shelved books, I hold up A History of Carrots. A creature creeps out timidly to sniff it. It’s a raggedy creature covered in fuzz, bits of torn paper, and crumbs. No, not covered. Made of. Bits of string and pencil shavings dangle from its long, floppy ears. I lean in to catch the creature’s scent, trying to ignore the eerie stare of its thumbtack eyes. I sneeze and it scatters. Not away. To pieces. But in an instant its pieces come back together again. Then the creature ducks back behind the shelved books.


“Forget it,” the bald man says. “I’ll take care of these. You go help the others guard the new arrivals.”


I run to a back room. Bigfoot is stomping on a mass of creatures by the door, but most of them get in the room anyway. I duck in with them. Beverly stands on a desk with a megaphone giving orders to the three beagle puppies tearing around the room with feather dusters in their mouths. Penny swings a broom and knocks down several creatures climbing up one of several stacks of books. The books tumble down, too, like buildings toppled by Godzilla. That’s just a thought I have. I don’t say it out loud. But it’s a dream, so Penny knows what I was thinking and gives me a dirty look for comparing her to Godzilla. Norman holds a dustpan in front of himself like a shield as he’s backed into a corner. Morzant wields a tube of toothpaste. When he squeezes it, a laser shoots out. The creatures are too fast. They dodge the laser blasts and keep running for the books.


An idea comes to me. I grab the nearest book, open it, and start reading it out loud. The creatures nearest me stop their rampage and turn toward me. I keep reading. They settle down. They seem to be listening.


“Forget the spring cleaning,” I shout to the others. “Try spring reading!”


Soon, all my friends are surrounded by creatures who have cozied up to be read to.



The books BIGFOOT reads from:

THE ACCIDENTAL GENIUS OF WEASEL HIGH by Rick Detorie

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

April 26, 2011


TRUE (…SORT OF) by Katherine Hannigan

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Greenwillow-HarperCollins

April 26, 2011




The books MORZANT reads from:

CLEMENTINE by Sebastian Loth

[PICTURE BOOK]

NorthSouth

April 7, 2011


CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.: TRUE STORIES OF FALSE IDENTITIES

by Chris Barton, with illustrations by Paul Hoppe

[YOUNG ADULT]

Dial-Penguin

April 14, 2011




The books PENNY reads from:

THE LUCK OF THE BUTTONS by Anne Ylvisaker

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Candlewick

April 12, 2011


COLD CASE by Julia Platt Leonard

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Aladdin-Simon & Schuster

April 26, 2011


FUTURE IMPERFECT by K. Ryer Breese

[YOUNG ADULT]

St. Martin’s Griffin

April 26, 2011




The books NORMAN reads from:

INVISIBLE INKLING by Emily Jenkins,

with illustrations by Harry Bliss

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins

April 26, 2011


NERD CAMP by Elissa Brent Weissman

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

April 26, 2011




The books BEVERLY reads from:

BIRD IN A BOX by Andrea Pinkney,

with illustrations by Sean Qualls

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Little, Brown-Hachette

April 12, 2011


IN THE SHADOW OF THE LAMP by Susanne Dunlap

[YOUNG ADULT]

Bloomsbury USA

April 12, 2011


SEVEN FATHERS by Ashley Ramsden, illustrated by Ed Young

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

April 12, 2011


THE RETURNING by Christine Hinwood

[YOUNG ADULT]

Dial-Penguin

April 14, 2011


SMALL ACTS OF AMAZING COURAGE by Gloria Whelan

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster

April 19, 2011


THE SUMMER OF MAY by Cecilia Galante,

with illustrations by Tad Carpenter

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Aladdin-Simon & Schuster

April 26, 2011




The books OLIVER reads from:

DAISY DAWSON AT THE BEACH by Steve Voake,

with illustrations by Jessica Meserve

[CHAPTER BOOK]

Candlewick

April 12, 2011


STOP SNORING, BERNARD! by Zachariah Ohora

[PICTURE BOOK]

Henry Holt

April 12, 2011


THE YELLOW HOUSE by Blake Morrison, illustrated by Helen Craig

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick

April 26, 2011




The books LENNY reads from:

LABRACADABRA by Jessie Nelson and Karen Leigh Hopkins, illustrated by Deborah Melmon

[PICTURE BOOK]

Viking-Penguin

April 14, 2011


SCRITCH-SCRATCH A PERFECT MATCH by Kimberly Marcus, illustrated by Mike Lester

[PICTURE BOOK]

Putnam-Penguin

April 14, 2011


MITCHELL’S LICENSE by Hallie Durand, illustrated by Tony Fucile

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick

April 26, 2011




The books VIOLET reads from:

HUCK RUNS AMUCK! by Sean Taylor,

illustrated by Peter Reynolds

[PICTURE BOOKS]

Dial-Penguin

April 19, 2011


HOORAY FOR AMANDA & HER ALLIGATOR! by Mo Willems

[PICTURE BOOK]

Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins

April 26, 2011


MY SIDE OF THE CAR by Kate Feiffer, illustrated by Jules Feiffer

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick

April 26, 2011


OLLIE & MOON by Diane Kredensor,

illustrated by Diane Kredensor, with photographs by Sandra Kress

[PICTURE BOOK]

Random House

April 26, 2011



* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.