The Headless Cupid

By Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Headless Cupid was one of my very favorite books as an elementary school student.  The four Stanley children: responsible David, chatter-box Janie, stubborn Tesser, and her twin quiet Blair have learned to live without a mother since their own mother died a few years ago.  Now their dad has married Molly who has an almost-teenage daughter named Amanda.


At first David and his siblings are excited to get a new sister, but Amanda is not at all what they expected.  She is crabby and claims to be studying witchcraft (or the "occult").


The cupid in the title is a wooden carved decoration that is part of the staircase in the old home where the family lives. The head was cut off decades and has been missing ever since. 


In this story the witchcraft is not real like it is in the Harry Potter series.  It is handled in a way that is exciting, but not too scary.  I tend to stay away from stories that feel too creepy or promote things that are not uplifting. This is a great book that I don't have to worry about any of these issues when I read it. 

Breaking Stalin's Nose

By Eugene Yelchin

Newbery Honor 2012

Breaking Stalin's Nose is an inside look at the Communist regime under Jospef Stalin. The book does not specify the year, but Stalin was in power between 1924 and his death in 1953. This is a wonderful example of historical fiction.

Stalin's tactics of instilling mistrust, suspicion and fear among the people while demanding total loyalty to him is all pointed out in this book.

The illustrations, also by the author are stunning in black & white and add a great feel to the book.

****

inside Out & Back Again

by Thanhha Lai

This is a very sweet and tender story of a young girl from war torn Viet Nam. Ha and her family are able to escape from their country just before the military moves in and takes over.

When the family arrives in Alabama Ha feels very out of place and lost in her new country. She wonders if their customs can still be followed and if she can make new friends when she speaks a different language and looks so different from her classmates.

Told in beautiful free verse poetry this is a quick and touching read. Besides how can you not just love this cover

****

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos

Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal.

I must say that I went into this book with some hesitation. I have not been overly impressed with some of the recent Newbery picks and did not like the last book I read by this author. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by this offering.

Told by a character named Jack Gantos, we get to spend his summer with him while he is grounded in his small quirky town called Norvelt. Jack's world is filled with many eccentric neighbors from an old lady who cooks her hands and loves writing obituaries, to an old man who travels around on a gigantic tricycle to a girl who lives in the mortuary.

Told with warmth and a healthy respect for history with a lot of humor thrown in I enjoyed this story and can see what the Newbery committee was thinking.

*** 1/2

A Wrinkle in Time

By Madeleine L'Engle

A wonderful classic tale! Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal this story has enchanted readers for years. It has been one of my personal favorites for years. I was introduced to it as a read-aloud in perhaps the fifth grade.

This book captivates me from the first sentence "It was a dark and stormy night" to the final pages. A mixture of science fiction, fantasy and human relationships the story unfold as Meg goes on an adventurous search for her mysteriously missing father.

With character who are flawed, but doing they best they know how I find that this book really connects with me and I am sure many others. We get to see Meg grow as a person and as a sister, daughter and friend throughout the course of the story. While her physical journey is very much a part of the fantasy aspects of the story, her personal journey rings very true.

Highly recommended. This is also a great family read-aloud.

****

When You Reach Me

By Rebecca Stead

When this first won the Newbery Medal I read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I was less than hugely impressed. This year Provo City Library in connection with Provo School District decided to pair this with its "companion" book A Wrinkle in Time for the ProvoREADS selection. ProvoREADS choses a different book each year, all citizens of the city are encouraged to read the book during that school year. As part of ProvoREADS I decided to reread the book. Still less than impressed.

The main character, Miranda, tells her own story. Miranda loves the book "A Wrinkle in Time" and has read her copy so often that it is beginning to fall apart. She and some of the other characters refer to this classic a few times, and I guess I can sort of see the tie-in to the plots, but I hardly consider it a "companion" book, in my opinion it barely pays homage.

I did like Miranda as a character and her spunk and interaction with other characters around her. We do get to see her growth and changes throughout the story. One minor character that I found especially memorable was the school secretary "Wheelie"

When You Reach Me is set in the 70's and some of the pop-culture references likely will not really connect with the children of today. There are some clever ideas that are more apparent the second time you read the book. But for my money you'd be better off skipping this and reading Madeleine L'Engle' classic instead.

I have talked to others who enjoyed the book much more than I did. I encourage you to read it yourself and form your own opinion. Please comment and let other know what YOU thought of When You Reach Me.

**

Autobiography of Santa Claus

As told to Jeff Guinn

This week we've been learning about the origin of Santa Claus. One of our sources is a great book I discovered a few years ago. Reading this in December is one of my personal holiday traditions.

This is a really fun and informative book about the good Saint Nicholas born in Lycia (Modern day Turkey) about 280 A.D. and how he evolved into the jolly man we know and love today.

Rating: ***

Recommended: For fifth grade and up.