One of the hardest things about being a librarian is reading books that don't appeal to you. A good librarian does this to be aware of the reading material that might interest all the people served by the library. I was not a good librarian last year. Goosebumps, Diary of Wimpy Kid, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret circulated constantly in my library and I kept re-shelving them with no desire to read them for myself. So, this summer I forced myself to try them. Not because my students need me to recommend them, but because I need to be able to understand what they like about them so I can find other books that might interest them.
by Brian Selznick
Genre: Historical Fiction/AR 5.1
Caldecott Medal
I avoided this book out of pure laziness. I didn't want to spend time looking at all the intricate pictures, but thought it would be necessary to fully understand the book. First of all, it's not. You can actually follow the story without the pictures at all. The story is simple, predictable, yet still enchanting. Hugo's father died when a fire broke out in the museum where he was working to repair an antique automaton abandoned in the museum attic. Hugo retrieves the wreck of the machine from the fire and has his father's notebook of drawings and plans. He is determined to repair the machine, but needs parts which he steals from the toymaker in the station where he lives with his uncle until his uncle disappears one day, too. Orphaned a second time, Hugo now must race against the clock to repair the machine before the stationmaster discovers his uncle is missing and sends him to a foster home. Things become much more complicated when the toymaker discovers his thieving. Life's complicated twists are often where we find resolution to underlying problems and it is no different in this story.
Second, the pictures are astounding. You will want to take time looking at each one and marveling over the level of detail. The eyes of Hugo and Isabelle are always shown wide open with a searching quality. On the other hand, with few exceptions all of the adults are drawn with eyes downcast, shut, or cropped out of the picture altogether. I read through it too quickly and will have to return to study the pictures more closely another time.
by Jeff Kinney
Genre: Realistic Fiction/AR 5.2
Yes, there is a long waiting list for these books, even after they have been in the library for 2 years. Everyone from 2nd grade to 5th grade wants to read the entire series it seems. I knew I couldn't reasonably avoid reading at least one any longer. Greg Heffley is the "wimpy kid." He's bright, perceptive, witty, and completely self-absorbed. He's also mean spirited and petty, but I suppose many of our unfiltered, internal thoughts could be classified in this way. So, maybe I should give him a pass on this one. Still, it is hard to like a character that complains about the way his big brother and bullies at school treat him and then treats his only friend with equally brutish behavior. I'm sure I take this all way too seriously. The kids are definitely not worrying about these issues when they read it. And, I can understand why. The writing is crisp and clever and the scenes are set with images and dialogue that make you feel like you are watching everything unfold. It's a harmless, fun read that could actually lead to some copycat journaling, which would really be a good thing. Perhaps that is even a story tie-in idea for library night or library lessons in the future.
by R.L. Stine
Genre: Horror-Fantasy/AR 3.4
Believe it or not, this is one of the less ghoulish-looking book covers in the Goosebumps series. Kids do love scary stories, so all of the titles in the Goosebump series circulate often. In Ghost Beach, brother and sister, Jerry and Terry Sadler, are visiting relatives in a remote seaside town. One of the first things they notice is that most of the graves and people they meet are all Sadlers. Their aunt tells them how the Sadlers were part of an early settlement that was devastated by bitter cold winters. That explains part of the mystery, but Jerry and Terry need to know more. Who is the man in the cave? Who are the three Sadler children that come to play with them each day? Are there any ghosts in this town? It's a harmless read, but don't expect to see boosts to your reading and writing as a result of time spent with these books.
