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Specialized Funding Opportunities
Open Society Fellowship
Deadline: February 2, 2015
Excerpt from RFP: "The Open Society Fellowship was founded in 2008 to support individuals pursuing innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. The fellowship funds work that will enrich public understanding of those challenges and stimulate far-reaching and probing conversations within the Open Society Foundations and in the world.A fellowship project might identify a problem that has not previously been recognized, develop new policy ideas to address familiar problems, or offer a new advocacy strategy. Project themes should cut across at least two areas of interest to the Open Society Foundations. Among these are human rights, government transparency, access to information and to justice, and the promotion of civil society and social inclusion.Fellows are expected to take full advantage of the foundations' expansive reach and work to bring new people and fresh ideas into the organization's ambit. Successful projects should push the boundaries of current thinking and carry lessons that can be applied to a variety of settings. Fellows may produce a variety of work products, including publications such as books, reports, or blogs;innovative public-education projects;or the launch of new campaigns or organizations. They may also engage in activities such as hosting panel discussions, traveling to conferences, participating in policy debates, and aggressively promoting their ideas in public venues."
Click here for more information.
Russel Sage Foundation
Project and Presidential Authority Awards
Deadline: January 16, 2015
Excerpt from RFP: "The Foundation is dedicated to strengthening the methods, data, and theoretical core of the social sciences. The Foundation's awards are restricted to support for social science research within the following five program areas:
Behavioral Economics –The program in Behavioral Economics focuses on research that incorporates insights of psychology and other social sciences into the study of economic behavior.
Cultural Contact –The program in Cultural Contact is focused on research that examines the effects of cultural difference on the ways in which different groups in the population understand and interact with one another, and with particular attention to the response of economic, social, and political institutions in the US to increasing diversity.
Future of Work –The program in the Future of Work is concerned primarily with examining the causes and consequences of the declining quality of jobs for less- and moderately-educated workers in the U.S. economy and the role of changes in employer practices. The program is also concerned with the nature of the labor market and public policies on the employment, earnings, and job quality of American workers.
Immigration –The program in Immigration focuses on research that examines social, economic, political, and community changes in the context of contemporary immigration and the role of race, nativity and legal status on the prospects for integration of immigrants and their children.
Social Inequality –The program in Social Inequality is focused on how rising economic inequality is related to social, political, and economic institutions in the U.S., and the extent to which increased inequality has affected equality of opportunity, social mobility, and the intergenerational transmission of advantage.
...We are particularly interested in innovative projects that collect or analyze new data to illuminate issues that are highly relevant to the Foundation's program goals."
Click Here for More Information.
Guggenheim Foundation,
Harry Frank Research Grants
Deadline: August 1, 2015
Excerpt from RFP: "The foundation welcomes proposals from any of the natural and social sciences and the humanities that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence and aggression. Highest priority is given to research that can increase understanding and amelioration of urgent problems of violence and aggression in the modern world. Questions that interest the foundation concern violence and aggression in relation to social change, intergroup conflict, war, terrorism, crime, and family relationships, among other subjects. Research with no relevance to understanding human problems will not be supported, nor will proposals to investigate urgent social problems where the foundation cannot be assured that useful, sound research can be done. Priority will also be given to areas and methodologies not receiving adequate attention and support from other funding sources. Eligibility. Applicants for a research grant may be citizens of any country. The foundation awards research grants to individuals (or a few principal investigators at most) for individual projects and does not award grants to institutions for institutional programs.While almost all recipients of this research grant possess a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree, there are no formal degree requirements for the grant. The grant, however, may not be used to support research undertaken as part of the requirements for a graduate degree. Applicants need not be affiliated with an institution of higher learning, although most are college or university professors."
Click Here for More Information.
The Jacobs Foundation
Research Grants
Deadline: Open
Excerpt from RFP: "The Jacobs Foundation is a non-operative, grant-making, philanthropic organization with impact- orientated operational aspirations. The primary purpose is to contribute to the welfare, social productivity, and social inclusion of current and future generations of children and youth by understanding and promoting their personal development and employability, their respect for and integration with nature and culture, as well as by understanding the challenges they face due to social, economic, or technological changes.
The main objectives of the foundation are:
- To fund research on the most pressing questions in child and youth development and to advance the field.
- To contribute to the development and implementation of evidence- and research-based interventions, practices and policies in child and youth development.
- To create sustainable research capacities in child and youth development.
- To give research on child and youth development the attention and recognition it deserves.
The Foundation supports innovative research projects in basic, applied, and rigorous intervention research in the field of child and youth development and related areas. Projects must be of high scientific quality and practical relevance.In its research funding, the Jacobs Foundation focuses on high-quality projects conducted by internationally recognized scientists and scholars across all disciplines that address the pressing problems of child and youth development. When funding practical intervention projects, the Jacobs Foundation focuses on four thematic priorities in selected regions.
The four thematic priorities in Europe, Latin America and Africa all have a common denominator: Education. The Foundation deliberately adopts a broad understanding of education here;both in terms of learning fields (formal education, non-formal education and informal education) and in respect of the different stages of the education system (early childhood education, primary education and vocational education)."


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What does it mean when a guy says it's complicated?
My guy friend is with this girl however when ever I ask or his best guy friend "how things are going between them." All he says "it's complicated," then right away drops the subject. I don't understand how it can be because he spends all his free times with her and all his other friends like whatever she says on his Facebook wall. Is he hiding something? Is it the fact that she is leaving to school this fall as well? I just don't get it. Can you please explain what it means? PS: His best friend thinks she and him are just friends with benefits. Could that make things complicated?
What's Your Opinion?
Most Helpful Opinion
"PS: His best friend thinks she and him are just friends with benefits. Could that make things complicated?"Yes. It could be that or they could be having problems elsewhere. All I can tell you is it's not a good sign for their relationship. And whatever it is, he doesn't feel like talking about it.
What Guys Said 2
Some relationships don't fit into the contemporary view of titles. It is like choosing a religion when each sect has some things you agree with but other parts you don't. It's a blend if you will. But he doesn't want to air his dirty laundry and I respect that. Perhaps he isn't sure where he stands in the relationship. It is complicated could be an easy way of saying "We fight a lot".

subset: commoncrawl


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Sailor Flame Princess
by Palaven
Art Print
Collect your choice of gallery quality Giclée, or fine art prints custom trimmed by hand in a variety of sizes with a white border for framing.
Fans of Adventure Time and Sailor Moon, or both, will be sure to enjoy this print of Flame Princess as a Sailor Scout, drawn in the Adventure Time style.
- 6Promote


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DLO Flexible Dock for iPod shuffle announced
Digital Lifestyle Outfitters has introduced the DLO Flexible Dock for Apple's iPod shuffle. The $19.99 accessory is a 7-inch adjustable USB dock that lets you connect your shuffle to any computer. The company said it's a perfect solution for those with recessed or tightly spaced USB ports, and that the gooseneck cable displays the shuffle for easy access.
"The DLO Flexible Dock frees up adjacent connectors that would otherwise be blocked by the extra-wide iPod shuffle," DLO says. "It plugs into any free USB port with a standard size plug, then bends out of the way and offers a super-handy connection port, providing easy in-and-out access for the shuffle. It also prominently displays the shuffle right next to a person's computer or screen."
Related Stories
- Apple intros space gray iPod touch, nano, shuffle
- Apple patents fourth-generation iPod shuffle
- Updated photo gallery: every new 2012 iPod shuffle
- First photos show 2012 iPod shuffle colors, textures
- New iPod shuffle to debut at WWDC?
- Apple patent points to iPod nano/shuffle speaker
Huh… just like the one I made. Theirs is a little nicer, but if I had my own manufacturing plant I could make mine nicer too. ;)
Posted by Kloan in Toronto, ON on June 6, 2005 at 8:06 PM (CDT)
Very expensive. Lots of times these things (USB extension cords) are included with USB peripherals. Even stiff ones like this are sometimes included.
I think $5 is too much.
Posted by klwdallas in Dallas, TX on June 7, 2005 at 6:11 PM (CDT)
If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.
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Category: Skin Care for Incontinence
In Stock
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Knurled Bathroom Grab Bars by Invacare
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Moen Hand Held Shower Head with Pause Control
Price: $49.99


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Thick, 3 color laminate vintage bakelite bracelet. Black/cream/marbelized tan/brown layers, 7/8"W, 2 1/2" inside diameter, 1/4" thick. Excellent condition. Guaranteed vintage 1940's-50's bakelite
Item ID:
Only 1 available, and 3 other shoppers are interested.
Don't miss out!
Attitude is everything- pick a good one!
Vintage Bakelite ,vintage needlework, jewelry, fun items.
Price for shipping to USA
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Lithakia Cottage Rental Photos and Description
1 bedroom cottage sleeps 2 rural location spectacular views and plunge pool
Voro cottage nestles in the village of Lithakia some 300 metres above sea level with spectacular views of the sea and the Argassi peninsula looking across Kalamaki bay and towards the town of Zakynthos which is approximately 10 kilometres away by road. Nestling amongst the olive groves Voro cottage is centrally located for most of the islands amenities yet enjoys a rural and tranquil calm location that is private but not isolated. Being less than five minutes away from beautiful sandy beaches and more than a dozen or so local tavernas.
- Suitability:
- Long-term Renters Welcome
- pets considered


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Faculty & Staff Directory
Quick Links
with integrity
teaching & learning
fwi story
MIIETL announces new Learning Portfolio Fellows
Seven instructors representing all Faculties as well as Arts and Science, have been selected as McMaster's first-ever Learning Portfolio fellows.[Read more]
New website "one-stop shop" for community engagement
McMaster's new community engagement website, MacConnector, will provide faculty, staff, students and community members with a "one-stop-shop" for community engagement resources at McMaster.[Read more]
FWI Update: Focus on Research Excellence
A letter from President Patrick Deane to the McMaster community.[Read more]
Focusing on research
President Patrick Deane discusses the importance of research at McMaster and the central role it has played in helping the University sustain its position as one of the top 100 institutions in the world.[Read more]
Explore the progress of FWI with our Interactive Timeline, click on title of each box for additional information


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Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Friday - December 07, 2007
From: Colden, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Native alternatives for non-natives
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:Is there a way to search this website using an invasive plant species to get a list of native plant alternatives? ie. search Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese Silvergrass) and get the native alternative Saccharum giganteum (Giant plume grass) and others. I love the website and use it to try to plant as much native plants as possible. I want to replace some non-native plants, but haven't found the resource to cross reference the native alternative for them. I also have a landscape design I want to use, but I want to find native alternatives for a few plants before I buy any plants for the landscape design.
Sorry, we have no specific cross-referencing of replacements for invasive plant species, per se. However, Be Plantwise is a partnership between the National Park Service, the Laby Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Garden Club of America and the National Invasive Species Council. There are links to a number of sites having to do with invasives and non-natives, but so far, we haven't found any cross-reference lists of replacements for non-natives.
We think your idea is wonderful, though, because the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is focused on the preservation and propagation of plants native to North America. So, perhaps we could suggest a slightly different way to go about your search. Begin by going to our Plant Database, and go down the page a little way to the "Combination Search." Suppose, for instance, you are interested in appropriate shrubs for your climate. Select New York as the state, shrub as the habit, perennial or annual, as you choose, and whatever sun and/or shade and moisture requirements you have for the particular spot you have in mind. Just for a trial run, we selected full sun and low moisture, perennial and clicked on "Search." This gave us 14 results. You can read the specific information on each plant and see if it suits your requirements. In addition, the following pages actually named the non-natives for which they were suitable replacements:
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick), Juniperus communis var. depressa (common juniper), Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac), Rhus copallinum (winged sumac), Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac), Rosa setigera (climbing rose), and Shepherdia canadensis (russet buffaloberry).
Granted, this is probably not as quick and easy as a cross-reference, but you KNOW that any plant you find in your Search on our Plant Database is going to be a native. You know what sort of plant you want, you know what sort of environment it is going to have, and you'll usually get a selection of several to choose from. Some have photos from our Photo Gallery, but if they do not you can usually do Google-Images to find a picture.
Last answer to a question you did not ask, yet: Where do I purchase these native plants? Go to our list of Native Plant Suppliers, again, search on New York. If we left all the boxes checked, we got 14 results; if we checked only "Nursery", there were 7 results. Or, if you don't see one near you, prepared with your list by scientific and common names of the plants you want, contact nurseries that are in your area and ask specifically if they stock those plants. Happy hunting!
More Seed and Plant Sources Questions
Karoo rose
June 15, 2007 - Where would the Adenium obesum/desert rose/Karoo rose pictured in the Austin American-Statesman's Gardening section on 06/09/07 be available for purchase in or near the Taylor, Texas (76574) area?
view the full question and answer
Source for mulberry trees from Bryan TX
February 24, 2013 - I am looking for suggestions for nurseries from which I could purchase Red Mulberry or Texas Mulberry Tree.
view the full question and answer
Sources of native plants for Marin County, CA
June 30, 2005 - Where in Marin County, California can I get native area plants?
view the full question and answer
Replacement for Spanish Dagger from Georgetown TX
June 22, 2011 - I have a Spanish Dagger plant in my garden which appears to be dying. Where can I purchase a replacement for this plant? The Spanish Dagger I have is close to 10 feet tall. What is the best way t...
view the full question and answer
Where to find Yarrow for sale in the area of Ft. Worth TX?
May 05, 2011 - I'm very fond of the native plant called "Yarrow." Where might I find this in the Fort Worth area, and what are the tips for growing it. Seems like I saw it in one of the gardens at the LBJ Wildf...
view the full question and answer
|Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.
Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends.


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Amherst's Jon 'Maddog' Hall is still leading the Linux legions, from do-it-yourselfers to supercomputers
"Companies spend billions on operating systems, and time making them more efficient, and they don't even get a mention!" he groused to me while waiting for his special hot sauce to be delivered from a secret spot behind the counter. It's kept there so nobody accidentally gets their palate obliterated (I declined to try it).
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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386027492014-11-26T05:27:21.499-05:00BooksForKidsBlogA blog which offers book reviews for young people of preschool to high school ages by a children's librarian with decades of experience in reading guidance.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-42732029119427119092014-11-26T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-26T00:30:02.469-05:00Eye Candy! Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
MOUSE AND BEAR ARE WALKING.
CHITTER-CHATTER TALKING.
SO MUCH FOR THEM TO DO,
AND BEAR SEES... BLUE!

Out strolling with his trusty sidekick, Mouse, Bear suddenly becomes aware of

BLUE DRAGONFLIES, BLUEBERRIES...
BLUE EVERYWHERE!

Bear has as epiphany! Once he starts thinking about blue, he suddenly sees it everywhere, But then....

Hare howdy-doos them from down the trail and points out something ahead.... RED.

Ooh! Right away Bear sees red raspberries on the bush.

Down by the pond Badger bops by in red overshoes, just as Bear sees... YELLOW bees!

And suddenly there are yellow things all around. Wow.

But Mole has a different view down by stream. He spots GREEN.

Before the woodland stroll is done, all of Bear's friends get into the fun. The picnicking Wren, Raven, and Owl are just sitting down, when Bear sees something yummy and BROWN!

The well-browned cookies are passed around, and a good time is had by all in Karma Wilson's first concept book starring her beloved Bear, Bear Sees Colors (The Bear Books) (Margaret K. Elderry Books, 2014). As an introductory colors book for the nursery school set, as a review for older youngsters, or even as an easy reader, Wilson's rhythm and rhyme put kids through their paces, while Jane Chapman's familiar illustrations are just as charming as ever for fans of Wilson's best-selling Bear series, which began with Bear Snores On (The Bear Books) in 2002.

For a fascinating follow up, add Herve' Tullet's delightful new hit, Mix It Up! to the color mashup to take the color session to a new level.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-59044176546189381642014-11-25T00:30:00.003-05:002014-11-25T00:30:00.339-05:00A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N! Waiting Is NOT Easy! by Mo WillemsPiggie enters, page right, with a pronouncement.

"I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"

"WHAT IS IT?" GERALD ASKS.

"A SURPRISE IS A SURPRISE!" SAYS PIGGIE.

Piggie is exuberantly smug about her secret, only hinting that it is big, it is pretty, and it can be shared.

At first Gerald the elephant declares that he can wait, but as Piggie keeps that maddening smile on her face, Gerald begins to get antsy.

 "WAITING IS NOT EASY."

Piggie is sorry, she says, but they must keep waiting.

Now Gerald is really curious. His forehead wrinkles, his mouth is pressed tight, and now all he can think about is the surprise. He wants his surprise NOW.

GROAN!

Piggie is unbearably calm about it all. She sits, legs criss-crossed and pretends to meditate. But Gerald squirms, his face contorted with the effort, and twists his trunk and his legs into pretzels as he tries to contain himself.

Piggie tries a little teaser.

"IT'LL BE WORTH IT!"

Of course, that only makes Gerald's wait worse.

"GROAN!!

Gerald's elephant-sized moan almost bowls Piggie over. Still the two must wait.

Finally Gerald pitches a little fit. He points out that the day is almost over. It's actually growing darker and darker. They've wasted the entire day waiting, and soon it is going to be too dark to even SEE a surprise. All that for what?

But actually, Piggie's surprise requires the dark, in Mo Willems' latest in series, Waiting Is Not Easy! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (Hyperion Books, 2014). At last Piggie's big reveal shows Gerald the Milky Way in all its glory, and Gerald has to agree it was worth waiting for.

And as for Piggie's next BIG surprise? Just wait till Gerald sees tomorrow's sunrise!

"I CAN WAIT," GERALD SAYS.

Mo Willems' odd-couple super stars of beginner books never fail to show how their differences--Piggie ebullient and excitable, Gerald anxious but stodgy--make for pure comedy, all in basic emergent reader vocabulary. Although the interplay between their contrasting personalities is actually quite complex, Willems has a magical way of showing that graphically in his simple but artistically sophisticated line drawings rarely matched in this genre. Good things are worth waiting for is Willems' theme here, but as the all too-human Gerald protests and every reader understands, waiting is not easy! He's right! Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books are such a treat that it is hard for readers (and reviewers) to wait for the next one.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-77929436702240758732014-11-24T00:30:00.004-05:002014-11-24T00:30:02.761-05:00Color Crunch! Mix It Up by Herve' Tullet
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN. ARE YOU READY?

TAP THAT LITTLE GREY SPOT JUST A LITTLE. WHAT HAPPENS?

Herve' Tullet is back with another brain stretching "interactive book," this time devoted to the basics of colors--primary, secondary, and tertiary. With dots of paint so real-looking--wet and shiny--that you expect your finger tip to be colored as you follow the creator's directions,

Tullet takes youngsters through what happens when they combine blobs of blue and yellow and red, producing such realistic results with each page turn that they seem to be occurring for real! Tullet advances through the secondary colors--orange, green, and purple-- and proceeds into mixing in white or black to create hues and shades--white and red becomes pink in a wink of a page turn. Want to see? OK!

Tullet tells the reader to close the book and smoosh the runny colors on a double page spread, and then tempts speculation as he asks readers to predict what will happen. What happens when you give the book a shake and turn the page? Look and see!

Although this book is aimed toward preschoolers learning the science and art of colors, the faux interactive aspect will have even older kids and adults drawn into the fun, shaking and squishing the book on cue. And it's going to be hard not to break out some paints and play with the knowledge Tullet imparts as soon as he bids readers goodbye.

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN. LOOK! PLAY!

And Mix It Up! they will, as author-illustrator Herve' Tullet invites them to do in his 2014 innovative virtual art lesson without the mess for Chronicle Books. As he does in his brilliant and best-selling Press Here and Help! We Need a Title! (read reviews here), Tullet joins other author-illustrators, such as Mo Willems, Kathryn Otoshi, Bill Cotter, and Alex Lluch, who have taken on the challenge of electronic storytelling to show that there's a lot of possibilities going on yet between the covers of the classic picture book. "Rivaling an iPad for its sheer fun and interactive elements,"  is the way School Library Journal describes Tullet's latest in their starred rave review.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-11055922857448050732014-11-23T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-23T00:30:00.443-05:00Chicken for Dinner? Dinnertime for Chicks by Janee Trasler
"DINNERTIME, CHICKIES. LET'S ALL EAT

WASH YOUR WINGS AND HAVE A SEAT."

If only it were as easy as their nannies, Cow, Pig, and Sheep, try to make it sound. But it's not so simple to get lively young ones to sit down and eat a proper dinner.

Cow's Tex-Mex tacos are too spicy and Sheep's noodle dish is too drippy. The Chickies insist that they'd prefer something more...um... "chocolate chippy."

But Pig insists that vegetables and meats come before sweet treats, and soon the Chickies are smacking their beaks and chowing down.

PASS THE PEAS...
PASS THE SPUDS AND BROCCOLIS!

Will their tummies have any room left for dessert?

Janee Trasler's dining outing for her darn cute little Chickies, Dinnertime for Chickies (HarperFestival, 2014), has all the appeal of her earlier toddler treats, with a poofy, padded cover, polished pastel palette, and deceptively simply comic characters. Trasler gets a lot of expressive faces out of circles, dots, lines, and a few squiggles, and her vivacious verses are just as memorable. Little listeners will pipe up to finish the clever punchlines the second time around, and the Chickies may even inspire some kids to eat their peas and broccolis when it's their dinnertime.

Trasler's companion board book stories include Bedtime for Chickies, Pottytime for Chickies, and her latest hot and tasty, A New Chick for Chickies.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-38310940288166522292014-11-22T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-22T00:30:00.530-05:00Going Dotty: Not Just a Dot by Loryn BrantzWhat's a dot? It's only a spot.

Or so Dot feels.

"I'M JUST A LITTLE HOLE. NOBODY NEEDS ME."

Poor Dot doesn't seem to know what to do with herself.

But then--she gets some salient suggestions.

THIS DALMATIAN LOOKS LIKE HE NEEDS YOU.

A Dalmation is missing just one spot, and then a one-eyed cartoon guy is short of an eye... and who can ask a question without a dot at the bottom of the question mark? And little Dot has got the right stuff to fill those slots!

"I GUESS I AM JUST A LITTLE BIT USEFUL," DOT ADMITS.

Loryn Brantz' Not Just a Dot (Sky Pony Books, 2014) uses her stylized illustrative style to set off her main character, who manages to project a lot of personality with her eyes, not a small feat for a black circle. Dot finds her place in the grand scheme of things, and, as Brantz points out, if you get far enough from Earth, we all are just little dots, a philosophical point of view that gives Dot a different perspective on it all.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-36587453114206270032014-11-21T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-21T09:38:52.533-05:00When It Rains....: Rain Reign by Ann M. MartinWho I Am--A Girl Named Rose (Rows)

I am Rose Howard and my first name has a homonym. To be accurate, it has a homophone.

I like homonyms a lot. And I like words. Rules and numbers too. Here is the order in which I like these things.
1. Words (especially homonyms)
2. Rules
3. Numbers (especially prime numbers.

My official diagnosis is high-functioning autism, which some people call Asperger's syndrome.

Although she's advanced in reading and math skills, Rose has a hard time in school. As she is able to observe, only one person in her class, Parvani, has any interest in her long list of homonyms. Rose deals with anxiety by shouting out prime numbers, which even Parvani has no interest in and which her other classmates find either scary, bizarre, or hilarious. And Rose feels obligated to point out the slightest lapse in rules, even her teacher's, so that she is assigned an aide to sit with her and take her out into the hall when her outbursts distract the class.

But Rose has her dog, Rain (with seven white toes and three homophones, reign and rein), which her father brought home, wet and lost late one night, from the Luck of the Irish Bar where he was drinking. Rain greets her joyfully every afternoon when Uncle Weldon drives her home from school and keeps her company at night when her father is out. Rose knows the rules of dog care, and she makes sure that she follows them all with Rain.

Then when a Hurricane Susan moves inland to where she lives, her father lets Rain out into the storm during the night, and she doesn't come back. To keep herself from falling apart, Rose works out a methodical strategy to find her pet. On a local map she draws concentric circles with her house at the center and enters the names of all the animal shelters in the area. She begins calling with the nearest ones, and when Rain is not reported found, moves on to the next circle. Then, in the last circle, the manager of Happy Tails Shelter tells her that she has a dog with seven white toes, and Rose knows it has to be her Rain.

But she also finds out that Rain has a microchip who shows that her owners are a family named Henderson who have left their storm-damaged house and cannot be located right away. But for Rose, rules are rules, and she feels that she must find that family and return their dog to them. But her father doesn't understand.

Rose's father seems furious. Out of work and silent, he leaves every night after supper, and Rose spends a lot of time alone in her room, staying out of his way, glad that Uncle Weldon still drives her to school and back. But Rose is still anxious, and one afternoon, something happens.

"Do you have a minute?" Uncle Weldon asks.

My father steps away from the hood of his truck. He wipes his hands on a rag that is hanging out of his pocket. "I guess."

"Well, I've been thinking. Rose here... Rose here should have another dog. Don't you agree?"

My father snorts. "Rose here didn't appreciate the dog she had, the one I got her. She gave it back when she could have kept it."

I was trying to do something nice for her. The one great thing I did. The one great thing...."

"But a dog--" Uncle Weldon said. "It's lonely for her. I mean, when you aren't around."

"You think you know best? You don't know best. NOT ANOTHER WORD!" My father slaps his hands on the side of his truck.

"Are you sure you know what's best for Rose?' Uncle Weldon asks quietly.

And then one evening, after midnight, Rose's father wakes her with one sentence.

"I'm taking you to Weldon's."

"My father is gone," Rose says to her uncle when she is left at his door.

Newbery author Ann M. Martin's Rain Reign (Feiwel and Friends, 2014) displays the essence of realistic fiction in a novel that has the power to reveal human personality with all its flaws and virtues. Rose is an admirable and resilient character who tells it as she sees it; as flawed as he is, her father loves her enough to see that his brother is right about what is best for his daughter; and even Rose's teachers and classmates are finely drawn from life. In its depth and the insight revealed for each character, this book is a real tour de force for this notable author, one that should be in every library for every child. Kirkus Reviews says, "... no fluff here, just sophisticated, emotionally honest storytelling." And Booklist concurs, "A strong story told in a nuanced, highly accessible way."GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-15711499997394172622014-11-20T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-20T07:23:12.664-05:00And the Winner Is.... 2014 National Book Award For Young People's Literature... Jacqueline Woodson, three-time finalist and first time winner) for her free verse novel Brown Girl Dreaming (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2014), winner of the 2014 National Book Foundation Award for Young People's Literature. (See my review October 27 review here.)

Woodson was also a 2009 Newbery Honor Medal winner for After Tupac and D Foster.

Other short-listed finalists of books for young adults were Eliot Schrefer, for Threatened (Scholastic Press), Deborah Wiles, for Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy), (Scholastic Press), John Corey Whaley, for Noggin. (Atheneum Press), and Steve Sheinkin, for The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights (Roaring Brook Press).GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-40513430720507866732014-11-19T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-19T00:30:01.780-05:00Jack's Back! A Bean, A Stalk, and A Boy Named Jack by William JoyceOnce upon a time, there was trouble, right here in Royal City. Not famine or fire or feuding, exactly, but still big trouble.

THE KING'S ROYAL PINKY
HAD BECOME STINKY!

The rains hadn't come in quite a while, and well, frankly, the King was as stinky as the rest of the unwashed peasants in the kingdom..

At first he sent for noblemen and women and ordered them to weep and wail until he collected enough tears for a bit of a wash! But there's a limit to tears, even under duress! And besides, the Princess is totally embarrassed by the whole thing.

People begged the Royal Wizard to do something!

"PUL-LEEZE!"

And...

THERE WAS A SMALLISH GREEN BEAN, AS REGULAR AS THEY COME.

And...

THERE WAS ALSO A SMALLISH KID

WITH THE SMALLISH NAME OF JACK

AND A SMALLISH COW. NO GREAT SHAKES.

Everyone knows what happens when a smallish boy gets his hands on a smallish bean, and this Jack soon has an enormous beanstalk. There's nothing left to do but climb it, and so he does.

At the top he follows some impressive plumbing until he comes to a room and sees a giant bathtub full of giant bubbles, and lolling in the suds, he sees ...

A SMALLISH GIANT KID NAMED DON.

Jack thinks it's time to make a deal.

"SO, DON--"

"YES, JACK?"

"BEEN IN THE TUB LONG?"

"A LONG TIME. MY PINKY WAS STINKY."

Jack thinks he's found the reason that the rains haven't fallen on the kingdom. He and Don's mom agree that it's past time to pull the plug on bath boy.

It's down the drain with Don's bathwater and Jack, as the water cascades down the beanstalk, and soon the kingdom has plenty. The king's pinky is no longer stinky, and Jack and Princess Blah ("You can call me Jill!") find they share a mutual fondness for water pails.

Everyone lives happy (or at least clean) ever after, sorta, in William Joyce's fractured take on the venerable Jack tale, A Bean, a Stalk and a Boy Named Jack (Monobot/Atheneum Books, 2014). Nobody gets eaten or even chased down a beanstalk here, but with tongue in cheek, Joyce's narration, assisted well by the quirky and clever cartoon illustrations of Kerry Callicutt, pokes gentle fun at the familiar fairy tale which will tickle some giggles out of folktale-savvy young readers. Says Kirkus, "Joyce and Callicutt royally fracture the familiar folk tale in this high-concept romp."

Pair this one with Tomie dePaola's rewrite of the Jack tale, in his brand-new picture book, Jack
GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-65074554280772863672014-11-18T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-18T00:30:02.889-05:00Roots: Gus & Me by Keith RichardsWho knew?

Before there was "Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar," there was "Malaguena" and Grandpa Gus.

Keith Richards, rhythm guitarist and co-writer with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, first heard a guitar played by his grandfather, Theodore Augustus Dupree, "Grandpa Gus" to Keith. An only child. little Keith loved to spend the day with his grandfather "who lived in a house full of instruments and cake." Gus, who had led a dance band called Gus Dupree' and his Boys, played piano, violin, and saxophone, but it was his guitar that sounded best to his admiring grandson. Gus like to take Keith for long walks with his dog, Mr. Thomas Wolff, sometimes talking, and sometimes just singing or humming, symphonies or jazz ballads or hot dance tunes. Once they walked all the way to London, to a shop that made and repaired musical instruments, and Keith was never the same.

MY EYES FOLLOWED A LINE OF GUITARS THAT SNAKED AROUND THE ROOM ON A CONVEYOR BELT. IT WAS MAGIC. AND RIGHT THEN, RIGHT THERE, I FELL IN LOVE WITH INSTRUMENTS.

 WHEN GUS AND I GOT BACK TO HIS HOUSE, I TOOK A LONG LOOK AT THAT GUITAR THAT ALWAYS SAT ON TOP OF THE PIANO. IT SEEMED MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER. ALL I WANTED WAS TO MAKE THE STRINGS GO. BUT I COULDN'T REACH IT.

 "WHEN YOU'RE TALL ENOUGH, YOU CAN HAVE A GO," GUS SAID.

 ONE DAY I FELT LIKE I WAS TALL ENOUGH TO GRAB IT.

 "ALL YOURS," GUS SAID.

 HE SAT BESIDE ME. "WHEN YOU CAN PLAY "MALAGUENA," HE SAID, "YOU CAN PLAY ANYTHING."

With Gus's lessons, Keith worked day after day at the difficult Spanish song, until at last Gus nodded.

"I THINK YOU'VE GOT THE HANG OF IT," GUS SAID.

And indeed he had. Keith Richards' lovingly crafted memoir of his Grandpa Gus, Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar (Little, Brown, and Company, 2014), portrays the story of how a grandfather passed along his love and his love of music to his talented grandson, and the rest is, as we say, rock and roll history. Richards' writing has its own quiet rhythm and harmony as he reveals through the eye and voice of a child how a grandparent gave him the best of himself, his time and his talent and his love for music. Paired with the evocative illustrations of Richards' daughter, Gus's namesake Theodora Dupree Richards, and with family photos and a CD which features Keith's performance of "Malaguena," just as Gus taught it to him, this is a memorable book for youngsters who perhaps don't know they are music lovers yet.  "Told so naturally and with such sweet verve, readers may not notice that this is the legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones." says Kirkus in their starred review. "A beautiful example of artistic bookmaking, a story of family love and lore, and the magic of music personified in a way that's utterly accessible to children."GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-80469027444550580792014-11-17T01:00:00.000-05:002014-11-17T09:09:34.477-05:00After the Fall...: Tiptop Cat by C. Roger Mader
OF ALL THE GIFTS SHE GOT THAT DAY...THE BEST ONE WAS THE CAT.

And he's a beaut! A perfect tuxedo cat with white-tipped paws and tail, we first see him at the birthday party, amid confetti, balloons, with a strip of curled ribbon draped over one ear.

Curious, he explores his new home, peeping into the kitchen, strolling through the chair legs under the table, peering his image in the bathroom mirror, and checking out the fireplace. But there is one place that begs for further inspection--the balcony.

Through the decorative black railing, the cat looks down seven floors to the street far below.

But that's not what intrigues him most. A short jump from the railing takes him from one rooftop to another, along window ledges, and soon he climbs, past a crowd of chimney pots, to the tiptop flue, where he admires the view, the roofs of Paris and the Eiffel Tower.

But one day there is an intruder on his balcony, a pesky pigeon with a can't-catch-me attitude.

A LITTLE JUNGLE BEAST AWOKE WITHIN THE CAT AND SAID....

POUNCE!

The teasing pigeon launches himself out of reach and the cat sails over the railing and

DOWN...

DOWN...

DOWN......

. . . DOWN!

The surprised cat falls, twisting, past an amazed piano player's window, righting himself as he passes a startled gymnist standing on her head and a bemused beagle, right through a red awning and into the incredulous arms of the fruit seller on the sidewalk. The vet's x-rays show no harm done to his bones. Everything seems intact but...

... HIS SPIRIT!

He's a chastened and changed cat. His green eyes are dull and timid. He cowers in the linen closet, tunnels into the laundry basket, and scoots under a rug. It seems there will be no more leaps, no further fun on the rooftops. Until... a cheeky crow appears on his balcony.

AND THAT INNER BEAST STIRRED AGAIN.

Will our spirited cat make that leap of faith to the top of the world once more? In his forthcoming latest cat tale, Tiptop Cat (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), C. Roger Mader takes his little tuxedo kitty to the heights of the rooftops of Paris. Mader's text is both taut but evocative, and his illustrations are totally delightful, capturing cat body language perfectly and using varying perspectives with great skill. A more endearing storytime kitty would be hard to imagine--peering through one opened bright green eye at the pesky pigeon, falling through space with his mouth a surprised O, landing, with startled eyes crossed, in the storekeeper's strong arms, and sitting silhouetted against the sunset sky of Paris. Even Mader's endpapers are lovely, done in midnight blue with a trail of little cat prints across the rooftops. A fresh, funny, and truly lovely picture book that has appeal to all ages.

Roger Madur is also the illustrator his equally charming Lost Cat Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). See my review here.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-34722728025936851572014-11-17T00:30:00.002-05:002014-11-17T09:05:51.466-05:00Seriously Seeking Housing! Jack by Tomie dePaola
ONE DAY JACK SAID, "I WANT TO SEE THE WORLD AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND LIVE IN A HOUSE IN THE CITY."

"WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THE CITY AND ASK THE KING?" SAID JACK'S GRANDPA.

Since time immemorial, young folks have set out into the wide world to find their fortunes, to make their way in their own way, and in his adaptation of folklore's "Jack tales," Caldecott-winner Tomie dePaola's Jack (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2014) is off on his personal quest.

Jack is a mellow redhead who soon attracts a following, beginning with a tiny yellow chick who peeps out a greeting and scoots along behind Jack. In short order, a duck spots the small procession and asks if he can go along.

"YES, PLEASE DO!" JACK SAID.

With his peeping and quacking friends behind him, Jack soon welcomes a retinue of animals, a goose, dog, frog, pig, cow, cat, sheep, horse and owl, and even a crow who flies along without asking permission. With all the honking, woofing, croaking, oinking, mooing, meowing, baaing, whinnying, hooting and cawing, Jack's reputation precedes him as he enters the city.

"GOOD AFTERNOON, KING," SAID JACK.

"MY FRIENDS AND I WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN THE CITY. CAN YOU HELP US FIND A HOUSE?"

Fortune smiles on Jack as usual. It seems that there is a run-down house in one neighborhood that needs a tenant to sort it out.

"YOU MIGHT NEED TO FIX IT UP, BUT I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT." SAID THE KING.

The house is dilapidated, but soon the critter cacophony is joined by the sound of sawing and hammering, and when the house is repainted in a bright pink and orange coat of paint, the animals find that each one of them has his own window on the street. Peeps, quacks, honks woofs, ribbits, oinks, moos, meows, baas, neighs, hoots, and caws (from the roof) fill the street with happy noise.

"THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD," GRUMBLED THE NEIGHBORHOOD CURMUDGEON.

"ABOUT TIME!" SAID HIS WIFE.

In a light-hearted palette and his familiar folkloric style, Tomie dePaola's latest introduces primary students to the Jack tale. In the many tales in English literature, Jack is a sort of everyboy, eager to try his luck in the world, best known in the classic Jack and the Beanstalk.

In this simple tale, there are no giants or ogres, just an amiable lad setting out on a modest quest. But getting there is half the fun, and dePaola populates the background behind Jack's little parade with many folktale characters setting off into their own adventures--Jack and Jill with their pail and Red Riding Hood heading off the path and into the wood--which will give sharp-eyed readers a chuckle with each page turn. DePaola has a way of giving each of his stories its own irresistible eye appeal, and he pulls out all the stops in this lovely book, filling the pages with colorful rubber stamp interjections from his animal characters and setting his glowing colors as standouts against his characteristic bright white pages. In this playful introduction to English folk literature, dePaola shows that he's still the master of picture book art.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-46334576197536386222014-11-16T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-16T00:30:01.591-05:00Go For It! The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing
IT WAS ANOTHER THANKSGIVING AT GRANDMA'S.

Gavin drops off their casserole in the kitchen and is ushered by his mom to his assigned station--the combination coat room and kiddies' room, a bedroom mostly populated by crawling and toddling babies with suspiciously sagging diapers and drooly pacifiers. Luckily, Gavin's audacious cousin Rhonda is already there, looking woeful. She grabs Gavin's hand with an appealing idea:

"WHAT DO YOU SAY WE BREAK OUT OF HERE AND HEAD FOR THE SWING SET IN THE BACKYARD?

THE WAY I SEE IT, GAVIN," SHE SAYS, "SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN FUN!"

But there are obstacles. First, they have to escape without a toddler on their tails. Gavin and Rhoda adopt protective cover (somebody's overcoats), and trying to blend in with the natives, crawl stealthily for the door.

But once outside, the conspirators find that there is a maze of hazards to navigate. First there is the dreaded "Hall of Aunts!" Rhonda remembers having to ice her face after the marathon of cheek pinching there last year. Then they discover that the front door is guarded by several scary guard dogs, all pretending to be fat and lazy pets snoozing on the rug. Deciding to let sleeping dogs lie, they head for the back door, only to find more gabbing, snacking, guffawing relatives blocking the way.

OH, NO! THE GREAT WALL OF BUTTS!

Avoiding the den where there is a squad of uncles yelling "Hit 'im!" at the football game on TV, Gavin and Rhonda decide it's better to try to sneak out the through the basement rec room. But seated on the floor down there are a group of teen-aged, vacant-eyed, slack-jawed creatures, all staring, mesmerized, and poking mechanically at a variety of electronic screens.

"ZOMBIES! THEY'LL EAT OUR BRAINS!" WHISPERS RHONDA DRAMATICALLY.

It's not easy being a young 'tweener who just wants a place to play at the family Thanksgiving. There's no place to have their kind of fun except outside, where now it's... raining!

"THE WAY I SEE IT, RHONDA," GAVIN DARES HER,

"SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN FUN!"

Mark Fearing' The Great Thanksgiving Escape (Candlewick Press, 2014) pokes good-natured fun at the perils of the family holiday assemblage from the viewpoint of the elementary-aged guests in a story that strikes a chord with kids and with adults who remember trying to escape with their cousins and have some FUN at the feast. Fearing's cartoon characters are spoofy but recognizable family types, shown mostly from a kid's eye view as the two young escape artists make a break for it. "Fearing's first solo picture book, based on his memories of Thanksgivings past, is a hoot for all ages," says Kirkus Reviews.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-49915162316870018782014-11-15T00:30:00.002-05:002014-11-15T09:01:23.081-05:00Stuff Happens! Frank! by Connah Brecon
FRANK WAS LATE! FRANK WAS ALWAYS LATE.

Frank is a good guy, always ready to pitch in to help a stranger in need.

But when school starts, it seems stuff always happens to make him late. The first day of school he arrives after dismissal.

On the second day he vows to do better... and he does. He gets there right after lunch. It seems there was a cat stuck up high in a tree, and there was no one but Frank to get her down. Teacher is not pleased, but who can punish a kitty rescuer?

On the third day Frank does much better. He makes it to class just in time for lunch. Questioned, he has quite a tale to tell:

FRANK HAD BEEN MISTAKEN FOR FAMOUS DANCER AND CHALLENGED TO A CHARITY DANCE-0FF, WHICH TURNED OUT RATHER WELL!

It gets worse. The next day Frank almost makes it before the morning bell stops ringing. But he has a good excuse--something about motherless baby bunnies and a evil ogre!

By the end of the week, Teacher has had it. Just as Frank opens his mouth to explain why he's late again, the teacher shouts

STOP!!

But before she starts her tirade on chronic lateness, everything goes dark! Boom! Flash!

Are those plumes of red-hot fire shooting past the window? Are those Zombie King Lizards at the door?

And here's Frank, just in time!

Even without super powers, Frank never fails, in Connah Brecon's funny, tongue-in-cheek tale of a tardy but timely hero, Frank! (Running Brook Press, 2014). In Brecon's piquant cityscape, there seem to be many opportunities for this capeless crusader, as Frank the bear nonchalantly makes his way to school through streets seemingly filled with peril. "Quirky appeal," promises Kirkus Reviews.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-85820238917542682652014-11-14T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-14T08:50:02.480-05:00Fashionable Foliage: Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage by Jane O'Connor
HOORAY!

FALL IS MY FAVORITE SEASON. I LOVE HOW THE FOLIAGE CHANGES COLOR. (FOLIAGE IS FANCY FOR ALL THE LEAVES.)

For a redhead like Nancy Clancy, the colors of the fall leaves are a natural backdrop. She changes into autumnal shades ("fabu" hues!) and heads out to get into the fun of raking up the falling leaves.

Her little sister JoJo and dog Frenchy have other ideas about what to do with the fluffy piles of fall-tinged foliage, but Nancy is in such an ebullient mood that she joins them in a few seasonal dives into the leaves herself.

While Mom and Dad persevere with the raking and bagging, Nancy notices a maple leaf in an arrestingly unusual color--burgundy (fancy for reddish purple) and Ooh-la-la!--the decorative possibilities that present themselves to Nancy's aesthetic side!!

Mom suggests an autumn leaf scrapbook, but Nancy's been there and done that--last year yet! Dad's idea is leaf prints, but that's not quite innovative enough for Nancy either!

I WANT TO DO SOMETHING EXTREMELY CREATIVE!

Always fashion forward, Nancy comes up with a craft idea that combines autumn leaves with the season which follows--a fall foliage wreath for the front door that celebrates autumn and hints at the December holiday to come:

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS!

Jane O'Connor's Nancy always has an eye for fashion and decor, and in her latest celebration of the season, Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage (HarperFestival, 2014), she pictures the Clancy clan pitching in to make even yard work an opportunity for family fun. Robin Preiss Glaser and associate artist Carolyn Brand pitch in as well with exuberant illustrations of Fancy Nancy doing what she does so well. Pair this one with O'Connor's top-selling and wryly witty portrayal of an extended family Thanksgiving feast, Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-7446213671392811852014-11-13T00:30:00.002-05:002014-11-13T00:30:00.561-05:00Turkey Day Resister: Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston
EMILY ANN HATED TO SAY
SHE WAS NOT THANKFUL FOR THANKSGIVING DAY!

Most grownups like Thanksgiving. For some it's their favorite holiday. It's a day off from work; there are no gifts to select and wrap; the decorations are mostly edible; and it's a day when it's considered polite to overeat. What's not to like?

But for little kids, it may not be so enticing.

Emily Ann is one of those. Her grandpa gets to snore in her comfy bed, while she gets a sleeping bag on the floor. Her mom's attention is focused on preparing food, and the house is too full of loud, gabbing people who aren't usually there. To Emily Ann, it all feels like an invasion.

SO EMILY ANN, FEELING QUITE ALONE AND SAD,
CHOOSES NOT BE THANKFUL
AND INSTEAD TO BE BAD.

But with all the hubbub it's hard to find something noticeably bad to do.

So Emily Ann decides to GO BIG. On the kitchen table crowded with everyone's special dishes, she see something really BIG.

SHE DUCKED BY THE TABLE TO PLAY A FUNNY TRICK.
SHE REACHED FOR THE TURKEY, TO HIDE IT REALLY QUICK!

But Mom is not as oblivious to her daughter's dilemma as Emily Ann thinks. Instantly spotting a turkey-napping in progress, Mom slyly co-opts the little prankster.

"HI, EMILY ANN. WHAT A BIG HELPER! YOU'RE SO GREAT!"

Emily has no choice but to lug the turkey dutifully into the dining room to put it on the table, and when she gets there, she notices that her mom has set the table with the Thanksgiving placemats she made in school, "the best in her grade." Suddenly, she sees Thanksgiving in a different light. She looks at all the food everyone has contributed, all her relatives smiling at her contribution and getting ready to sit down together.

BY THE TIME SHE SAT DOWN ON THANKSGIVING DAY,
"I'M THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY" WAS ALL SHE COULD SAY.

Teresa Johnston's Thanksgiving for Emily Ann (CarolRhoda Books, 2014), may slip in a too-easy transformation for this little conscientious objector, but it does offer a bit of a contrarian child's-eye view of Thanksgiving gatherings. It can be intimidating for youngsters to have a crowd of noisy adults, rowdy cousins, or strange guests taking over their space, and at least here Emily Ann gets to make her statement and her mother gets to model the ideal of making even the youngest feel part of the big day. Vanessa Brentley-Newton adds reassuringly humorous cartoon illustrations of various family types to add to the holiday atmosphere. For another salty look at Turkey Day, pair this one with Mark Fearing's brand-new The Great Thanksgiving Escape (Candlewick Press, 2014).GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-35308828250024337342014-11-12T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-12T00:30:01.319-05:00Finding Autumn: Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon
IT WAS FALL AND VERY WHITE ON THE ICE, AS ALWAYS.

"I WONDER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE OFF THE ICE?" MUSED PENGUIN.

"LET'S GO TO THE FARM AND FIND OUT!" SAID HIS BUDDY BOOTSY.

Penguin's baby brother Pumpkin clamors to go, too, but Penguin has to tell him he's still too little to travel so far.

Waving good-bye to his sad little sibling, Penguin and Bootsy hop the nearest northbound ice floe and finally arrive at the farm, where fall is in full swing. There are big pumpkins in the pumpkin patch and red, gold, and orange autumn leaves sailing through the air and covering the ground. It's gloriously colorful, but Penguin can't help thinking about poor little Pumpkin back home in the snow. Then he gets an idea.

Penguin and Bootsy pick the biggest pumpkin, carve it out to make a floating freighter, and load it up with a little pumpkin and and crate full of colored leaves. They even add a few autumn storybooks for good measure. Boarding a southbound floe, they tow their cargo back toward Penguin Land, where little Pumpkin is busy trying to imagine what Fall looks like. Is it perhaps in outer space? Are Penguin and Bootsy taking a spaceship to Planet Pumpkin? He can't wait to tell his big brother all about his own imaginative adventures.

The returned explorers are impressed at the little penguin's fantastic ideas.

"SPACE-TACULAR!" THEY SAY.

"BUT I WISH I GOT TO SEE WHAT FALL REALLY LOOKS LIKE," PUMPKIN SAID.

Penguin puts on his thinking cap. He's got a pumpkin and he's got a lot of autumn leaves. How can he re-create the farm in the fall for his little brother?

In the Penguin Queen Salina Yoon's latest South Pole story, Penguin and Pumpkin (Walker Books, 2014), Penguin uses his creativity to find a way to set his autumn leaves to blowing all over penguin country.

"FALL LOOKS LIKE... IT'S SNOWING LEAVES!"

Yoon's illustrative style, with her thick black outlines and rich autumnal colors are perfect for youngsters just learning about the seasons. Her characters, shown mostly in profile, are iconic cartoon penguins, with Penguin himself sporting an orange scarf, while Bootsy sticks to her pink hairbow and signature boots. making this unusual location for a fall story into a unique fall story for young readers. Kirkus Reviews says "Readers with a generous tolerance for quirkiness will find that this seasonal tale, that's also a bit about little brothers, adventures and the endless diversity of pumpkins, hits the spot."

Salina Yoon's other Penguin books include Penguin and Pinecone, Penguin on Vacation, and Penguin in Love.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-25081293701272241012014-11-11T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-11T08:37:41.660-05:00Are We There Yet?: The Long Haul (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney
The last thing I need is to turn into some kind of were-pig, because that could really mess up my dating life.

Mom took a look at my finger, and I could tell she was a little worried. She tried to find an emergency-care place on the GPS, but there was nothing in a fifty-mile radius. But she DID find a VETERINARIAN'S office five minutes up the road. A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot.

A minute later Mom came back with a clipboard and some paperwork to fill out. All I can say is, I hope this stuff doesn't get filed on my permanent record. because if it comes up later in life, it could be embarrassing.

EMERGENCY PET CARE
Patient Registration

Pet's name: "Greg"
Owner's name: Susan Heffley
Species: Human
Last vaccination: January 12
History of worms? X Yes* (*as a toddler)
Last rabies shot: N/A
Spayed/Neutered? XNo

You'd think I'd get some priority as a human, but I got put behind a gerbil that swallowed a cigarette and a cat with its face stuck in a yogurt container.

Mom has been spending way too much time reading Family Frolic Magazine, and when school's out there's no deterring her plan for a fun-filled family road trip. She's got it all planned, but when the Heffleys stop at a roadside FUN FAIR, toddler Manny wins a piglet, and when the prize piglet tries to escape through the sun roof while Dad is driving and handing at hostile client from work, Greg grabs the pig and gets bitten. And that's the good part of the trip.

As only he can tell it, Jeff Kinney's latest in his best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (Amulet Books, 2014) may be the best Heffley saga yet. Once more the hapless middle child Greg plays straight man to one of the funniest family series of all of literature. (In less than a week, it's already #1 on Amazon's sales of all books!) Car breakdowns, the world's sleaziest motel, a piglet who figures out how to raid the mini-bar, and a series of perfectly normal mishaps take the family on the funniest car trip ever, and when the Heffleys finally limp home, towed by a couple of friendly, non-English speaking hombres, the car's leaking radiator patched together with glue and duct tape, Mom and Dad's credit cards, phones, and clothes supposedly stolen from their locker at Water World, and a pet piglet they can't seem to give away, it looks like home-sweet-home for the Heffleys for a long time.

Trust me, this one is as drop-dead funny as the earlier books, funny enough to make me laugh out loud, in my parka, in my chilly garage, late at night, into my second hour on an exercise bike! Although its target 'tweener audience will undoubtedly devour this one in one sitting, the humor in Kinney's artfully clever stick cartoons and this hilarious but somehow believable tale will tickle the ribs of anyone, kid, parent, or grandparent who has ever gone on an "eventful" family car trip.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-90611659565587634392014-11-10T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-10T09:51:19.221-05:00Winter Doesn't Last Forever! Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce SidmanNature has taught all of its creatures how to cope with the coming of winter. The ectotherms, cold-blooded reptiles like the garter snake, are among the first to sense the earth's turning:

BROTHER, SISTER, FLICK YOUR TONGUE
AND TASTE THE FLICKS OF AUTUMN SUN.
BEFORE YOUR COILS GROW STIFF AND DULL,
YOUR HEARTBEAT SLOWS TO WINTER'S LULL,

 SEEK THE SINK OF SHELTERED STONES
THAT SAFELY CRADLE SLEEPING BONES.

As winter comes, even the wings of swans know what to do:

DUSK FELL
THAT NIGHT WE DREAMED THE JOURNEY:
WE DREAMED OURSELVES SO FAR ALOFT
THAT THE EARTH CURVED BENEATH US.

Snakes hibernate together, huddled in coiled communities of hundreds or thousands underground, and birds fly to comforting climes. Moose switch to a diet of twigs and shoots, and bees squeeze together in a "sizzling ball ... like a golden sun." Beavers winter in wigwams of sticks and mud, sending a youngster forth for takeout from the cached twigs and branches stored nearby, and wolves and ravens travel together, the birds sounding an alert that prey is near, even pecking at the wolves' tails to rouse them, and the wolves doing the work of making the kill for both of them.

Newbery-winning poet Joyce Sidman's latest, Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), turns her considerable poetic skills to colder climes and times. Foxes, voles, chickadees, even snow fleas, all have their ways of wintering and readying themselves to spring into spring. Sidman's specialty is lyrical language, set in varied verse forms, that can enchant even the most reluctant poetry reader with its cleverness, beauty, and insight into the natural world. Rick Allen's appealing artwork, lovely double-page spreads in wintry palette, set off Sidman's rhymes and add movement and accurate portrayal of the animals and plants, even the stinky skunk cabbage, first in spring to pierce the snow cover, in its wintry world. Informational passages on each spread add additional knowledge to Sidman's poetic text, and an appended glossary provides definitions of vocabulary used in the text, all making this slim volume the best poetry of the year.

As Sidman's chicadees sing...

QUICK AND BOLD AND BRAVE AND CLEVER,
WE PREEN AND FLUFF EACH DOWNY FEATHER.
SING FEE-BEE--LAUGH AT THE WEATHER--
FOR WINTER DOESN'T LAST FOREVER!
GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-38598123216922976282014-11-09T00:30:00.001-05:002014-11-09T08:37:15.659-05:00Going for the Gusto! Mr. Putter and Tabby Turn the Page by Cynthia Rylant and Arthur HowardMr. Putter and Tabby love quiet time together, especially quiet reading time, when Tabby listens from Mr. Putter's lap, from on his feet, and even from on his head.

So when Mr. Putter spots a sign in the library, he was not sure it is a good idea for him and Tabby.

READ ALOUD WITH YOUR PET AT STORY TIME.

Mr. Putter is intrigued. He has fond memories of story time at school. But story time at the library is not necessarily quiet time.
Still, maybe reading doesn't always have to be quiet.

Excited, Mr. Putter signs Tabby up.

AFTER SIGNING UP, MR. PUTTER MADE A MISTAKE.

HE FORGOT THAT MRS. TEABERRY LOVED ANYTHING NEW.

ANYTHING.

As always, when Mrs. Teaberry hears about it, she takes the idea over the top. She shops for a new hat. She rehearses her good dog Zeke for his part in her reading. And Mr. Putter is worried that story time at the library with Zeke might get a little too exciting for Tabby's taste.

But Mr. Putter decides to make the best of it and go along with Mrs. Teaberry. He and Tabby rehearse their bear book every day, too.

At the library the children assembled for Story Time are very excited. Tabby purrs and Zeke licks lots of kid faces. Then Mrs. Teaberry takes her seat in the reading chair and begins reading a story about a dog.

ZEKE MADE ALL THE SOUND EFFECTS.
WHEN THE DOG IN THE STORY HOWLED, ZEKE HOWLED.
AND WHEN THE DOG IN THE STORY RAN AWAY, ZEKE RAN AWAY.

Mrs. Teaberry knows Zeke always comes back, so she gives the reading chair to Mr. Putter. Just as he's getting into his bear story with gusto and Tabby is trying out different laps and heads in the story circle, Zeke re-enters. He's obviously raided the librarians' lunchroom, and there's something in his mouth.

HE HAD SOMEONE'S CHEESE SANDWICH--AND A DIFFERENT HAT.

HE ALSO SMELLED LIKE GRAPEFRUIT JUICE.

Mr. Putter and Tabby have definitely done something new, in Cynthia Rylant's forthcoming newest in her beloved series, Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). As usual, his friendship with Mrs. Teaberry leads the mild-mannered Mr. Putter into the fun of a new experience, Meanwhile, Newbery artist Arthur Howard's inimitable portrayal of Tabby's and Zeke's body language comically reveal the differences in their personalities that mirror those of their devoted owners. Story time is always a good time, and fans of the first 22 books in the best-selling Mr. Putter and Tabby  series will find themselves with a strange desire to munch a cheese sandwich while they curl up with this one with their pets for a bit of reading.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-87379591143179996712014-11-08T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-08T00:30:01.293-05:00Time for a Brief-ing! One Big Pair of Underwear by Laura Gehl and Tom Lichtenheld
ONE BIG PAIR OF UNDERWEAR.

TWO LITTLE BROWN BEARS WHO HATE TO SHARE.

ONE BEAR WEARS THE UNDERWEAR.

ONE BEAR CRIES, "THIS ISN'T FAIR!"

Right away you can see where this one is going.

In Laura Gehl's new One Big Pair of Underwear (Beach Lane Books, 2014), the author's silly verses set forth the situation: somebody's sure to get shorted when the supply of briefs is tight in the whitie department!

And they're not the only ones. While Gehl is counting up the critters, each batch is one short of a match!

There are three yaks with backpacks, but only two sacks of snacks. Alack!

With only three scooters painted teal and four pale seals ready to ride, one seal has to steal a set of wheels.

It only gets worse as the count goes up:

SEVEN JET SKIS, SHINY BLUE.

EIGHT COWS CRAVE SOMETHING NEW.

SEVEN COWS CALL "MOO-HOO-HOO!"

ONE HOT COW STEWS: "MOO-BOO-HOO!"

And the shortage persists as the numbers grow.

Ten baboons battle over nine trombones. Nine get in line and sound so fine:

NINE BABOONS MARCH WITH THE BAND.

ONE BABOON GETS LESS THAN PLANNED.

One baboon stuck with only a triangle to ting is a sad thing! But... wait! A solution is in sight!

Twenty pink pigs wanting a playground slide are stuck with only ten slides to ride. Now what?

It's pigs to the rescue! Piggyback is the only way to go, and the rest of the crew take their cue from the pigs' two-by-two. Even the little bears figure out how to double up in those tightie whities, and with that plug for sharing, all's well that ends well.

With the certified silly illustrations of Tom Lichtenheld, who did the best-selling artistic honors for Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, Shark vs. Train, and Everything I Know About Pirates. and newcomer Laura Gehl's quirky couplets to do the counting up, the end product is a rib-tickling Seussian-style story-in-rhyme that kids will care to share again and again. You can count on it.GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-71704950889162495562014-11-07T00:30:00.003-05:002014-11-07T00:30:00.303-05:00Looking for Home: The Perfect Place by Teresa E. Harris
Dad started for the door.

"You act like we're a burden to some other life you want to live," Mom said to his back.

Dad turned. His eyes and shoulders seemed to droop as he stared at the three of us. As if we truly were too heavy for him to bear.

"I'm just trying to find the perfect place for us." he said. "The perfect place."

I believed him.

As Mom's Aunt Grace had warned her, Dad is a rolling stone, always chasing the perfect place. He moves them often, but never to a perfect place, and she's learned not to make friends that she'll just have to leave over and over.

Now Dad's gone again, without a word, and Mom's only clue is a credit card receipt from some little town down in North Carolina. Leaving at night, Mom loads them up, with only their clothes and little sister Tiffany's Mr. Teddy Daniels in pillowcases, and heads south with five dollars and three-quarters of a tank of gas.

Her first stop is down a gravelly road in Virginia, where Treasure and Tiffany meet their Great-Aunt Grace and learn that their mom is going on to search for their dad alone, leaving them behind with her aunt.

"Here we are," Mom says. We're face to face with a green and white house that looks like the victim of a serious beat down, with grubby aluminum siding and a porch screen with more holes than screen.

"Let's get this over with," Mom says. The heat hits every square inch of my body. It's humid in Jersey, but this--this is like being inside someone's mouth. "Listen to me and listen good. Great-Aunt Grace does not tolerate nonsense, so you need to be on your best behavior and more grateful than you've ever been."

Great-Aunt Grace is tall and broad-shouldered, with big thick-fingered hands and feet like stretch limos. She does not smile.

"Have you lost your mind, Lisa? What about these kids?"

Great-Aunt Grace didn't invent the term, but she's a believer in tough love, as Treasure and Tiffany soon learn. She may have been arrested for confiscating a teenager's too-loud radio one time, but there's no doubt that she's a person to be reckoned with in Black Lake, Virginia. She assigns chores, gets them up at dawn to a breakfast of dry eggs and burnt bacon, hikes them three miles to town, and puts them to work in her candy store, Grace's Goodies. She dresses them up in the best clothes they've got and hauls them off to church on Sunday, where over their protests she signs them up for Camp Jesus Saves Summer Bible School. Giving Great-Aunt Grace some sass about Bible School gets Treasure nowhere. She gets it that Black Lake is a long way from New Jersey.

Treasure is used to being a loner, but when the rich and mean Jaguar and her sidekick Pamela trash Grace's store and start picking on Tiffany, she and Jaguar get into trash can-spilling fight at Camp Jesus Saves. And in a first glimmer of empathy, Great-Aunt Grace gets to the truth and heads off to give Jaguar's father, Reverend Burroughs, a piece of her mind. Jaguar backs off with the bullying, and Treasure accepts the erudite professor's son Terrence, who admires her vocabulary and figures they're kindred spirits, as her "associate," not quite friend and certainly not her boyfriend. And spying on Aunt Grace late at night, she discovers that her aunt is knitting new clothes for Mr. Teddy Daniels to replace the ones Mom left behind. Treasure hangs tough and puts all her hopes into the rock-skipping wishes that Terrence teaches her at the lake.

But when Treasure screws up her courage to call their landlord back in New Jersey, she learns that a letter from her father has come in the mail. And there's a return address on the envelope. Inside is a note:

I'm sorry. I love you all.

Treasure secretly calls her mom with the address, but when they arrive, they find an empty rusty trailer and Dad is long gone.

"Home is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in," said Robert Frost, and as the three turn around and head north, Treasure realizes that the perfect place is where someone loves you enough to give you a home, and she knows where that place is.

In a notable debut, Teresa E. Harris' forthcoming The Perfect Place (Clarion Books, 2014) offers a realistic novel starring a spirited main character and a cast of all-too-real characters, true-to-life situations, a couple of sidebar mysteries to solve, plenty of down home humor and homespun wisdom, and above all, what Beverly Cleary's Ramona called "a good, sticking-together family." Each character is lovingly fleshed out in full humanity, and there is a setting that you can feel and taste and a crackling plot that doesn't flag. This story's closest literary relatives are Richard Peck's depression-era Newbery-winning A Long Way From Chicago  and sequel A Year Down Yonder, pretty illustrious company.GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-58725293773330251742014-11-06T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-06T00:30:01.820-05:00Runnin' Wild: The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie by Chris Van Allsburg
HE'S SOOO CUTE!" SQUEALED THE PIGTAILED GIRL. THE HAMSTER HAD HEARD THESE WORDS BEFORE. HE'D ONCE SHARED HIS HOME WITH A DOZEN FRIENDS.

HE'D BEEN LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE WHENEVER A CHILD HAD PICKED HIM UP, HE'D SQUIRMED AND SCRATCHED.

TODAY HE DID NOT PUT UP A FIGHT. WHEREVER HIS FRIENDS HAD GONE, HE WANTED TO GO THERE, TOO.

But it's out of the frying pan and into the fire for this hamster. The ride home on the back of her bike, in the sun and breeze, is the best part. The girl names him Sweetie Pie and squeezes him too tight, but he cooperates. At least he's out of the cage.

But then Pigtails is distracted by her new laptop, and Sweetie Pie is resigned to overeating to pass the time. Suddenly he finds himself the subject of a sales pitch to a strange boy.

"KIND OF BIG, ISN'T HE?" HE GRUMBLES.

Again, the best part is the ride home, out where he can see the sky and sniff the outdoors. Unluckily, the boy already has a pet, a dog appropriately named Buster who knocks over his cage and slavers at the bars daily. Too anxious to eat, Sweetie Pie becomes skinny and mopey and soon finds himself gifted to a not-so sweet Cousin Sue, who confines him in her dollhouse, stuffed into a frilly pink dress. But Cousin Sue is not through with her ideas of hamster fun. She stuffs him inside a clear plastic exercise ball and rolls him down her sidewalk. Out of control, Sweetie Pie careens downhill, across a busy street, and finally rolls into a park, where he remains until some kids notice him the next day.

Fortune smiles and Sweetie Pie becomes a classroom pet. At least he's not lonely, and the job has one perk: his cage sits by the window where he can at least see the sky and trees. Sometimes a curious squirrel comes to sit on the outside sill and seems friendly. When the holidays come, a boy volunteers to keep him over the break, but when he stops off to toss a football with friends, he forgets Sweetie Pie and leaves him in his cage as the snow begins to fall.

After vacation, the boy sadly confesses to the class. The teacher tries to put a positive spin on the story.

"I'M SURE," SHE SAID, "A NICE BOY OR GIRL IS TAKING CARE OF HIM."

THE CHILDREN KNEW BETTER.

Does Sweetie Pie wind up as a frozen hamster popsicle? Or does he find a familiar rodent friend to ride to his rescue? In his forthcoming The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), two-time Caldecott medalist (for Jumanji and the classic The Polar Express) Chris Van Allsburg tells it like it is for cage pets. Sweetie Pie may fare better than the kids predict, and sharp readers may foresee Van Allsburg's nicely foreshadowed ending, a bitter-sweet conclusion that involves a steady diet of acorns, but readers will come away perhaps thinking twice about what it means to own and care for a small pet.

The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie is a switch from Van Allburg's familiar surreal style. Here his deceptively pleasant ink and pastel watercolor illustrations contrast pointedly with the indignities suffered by his little protagonist. Sweetie Pie's expressions tell all as the artist uses perspective shifts to portray the story from the point of view inside that cage as well as outside. This one is not your average cheery little lost-pet story, but like all of Van Allsburg's work, it is one that kids will likely remember well long after.

As Publishers Weekly wryly observes, "Thinking of getting a hamster? Read this first."GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-29730431484979907342014-11-05T00:30:00.000-05:002014-11-17T12:10:06.521-05:00Escape from the Scaffold! Wild Rover No More (A Bloody Jack Adventure) by L. A. Meyer
THE BOSTON PATRIOT
Nov.10, 1809--Special Edition

 NOTORIOUS PYRATE AND BRITISH SPY JACK FABER HANGED

 THE CONDEMNED SHOWED NO REMORSE AT END OF LIFE.

Protesting her Innocence to the last, the Criminal Jacky Faber, also known as Bloody Jack, the Scourge of the Caribbean; La Belle Jeune Fille Sans Merci; the Lily of the West; and the Belle of Botany Bay was hanged today by the order of the State of Massachusetts, having been Convicted of High Treason against the United States. Incriminating Documents concerting detailed plans of the Fortifications at Fort McHenry had been found in her possession.

The beauteous and bold Jacky Faber, still only a lass of nineteen, has sailed both oceans as a privateer, amassed a fortune as head of Faber Shipping Enterprises, posed for a famous scantily-clad portrait painted by Goya, flatboated down the Mississippi, and undertaken various undercover espionage for assorted governments, seems to have come to the end of the road.

It had seemed things were going well for the wily Jacky. Having vowed to have nothing further to do with men and live single, amassing an even larger fortune from legal merchant trade, Jacky is unexpectedly reconciled with her love, Jaimy Fletcher. But when jealous conspirators plant a map of Fort McHenry in a British diplomatic pouch with Jacky's name on it, she becomes a traitor hunted down by her state and country. But Jacky always takes care to know where the back door is, and, disguised in her well-worn midshipman's sailor's togs, makes an escape in her sailboat Morning Star and, leaving Boston Bay behind. makes for the port of Plymouth in a howling gale.

In Plymouth Jacky looks about for a job that will allow for deep cover and, as Annabelle Leigh, she takes employment as a governess. But a snoopy Plymouth postmaster reads her mail, and soon the federals on on her trail again. By chance, Jacky encounters a traveling circus troupe and hires on, using the skill she exhibited during her Paris sojourn, as Princess Natasha Annasova Romanoff, Aerialist. Garishly made up and costumed in spangled tights, high on the tightrope wire, she feels safe for the moment as the circus continues its travels toward Provincetown.

But Jacky's fabled luck seems to fail her this time, and she is discovered and returned to Boston, summarily tried as a British spy, and slated for hanging as soon as her scaffold is completed.

I sigh and look about me. All my thoughts of escape have been in vain. There is a lock on my shackle, a lock on the cell door. I have no metal to fashion a key. No, I am truly lost. This is one cage that Jacky Faber will not get out of... until, that is, they take me out for the final time.

"All right, boys, let's give 'er a try," I hear one of the carpenters say outside my window. There is the rasp of a lever being thrown and the sound of something falling with a whump.

They have completed the gallows and are testing the trap that will fall from beneath my feet.

I crawl into bed, my ankle chain rattling on the bedstead as I do it.

Oh, was I ever so bad as to deserve this?

But while Jacky Faber is bravely composing herself to meet her maker, she has friends hard at work to help her yet again cheat the hangman, in the rousing conclusion to L. A. Meyer's just published, series-concluding Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life &Times of Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack Adventures) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).

Meyer's characters are crisp and true to the times, the plotting is gripping but never improbable, and Jacky Faber herself is a wondrous heroine, fearless and intelligent, a strong woman born out of her time who does not scruple to use her beauty, quick wits, and endless energy to find adventure all of over the globe. A fine fictional character with the combined qualities of such historic femmes as Cleopatra of the Nile, Mary Queen of Scots, pirate queen Anney Bonney, spy Mata Hari, and exotic danseuse and World War II spy Josephine Baker, Jacky's rip-roaring escapades never fail in this twelfth book of the much lauded Bloody Jack Adventures series. Says Kirkus in their starred review, "Meyer offers an impressively accomplished heroine, suspense as taut as a hangman's rope and a satisfying conclusion. A solid and sentimental entry in an underrated series."

Fare ye well, and a fair wind to your back, Jacky Faber!GTChttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-2578097631822110912014-11-04T00:30:00.002-05:002014-11-04T00:30:01.527-05:00With Liberty and Justice for All?: Guilty? Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of Justice by Teri Kanefield
Thirteen-year old Brian collect baseball cards. One day in a shop Brian spotted a 1968 card pairing the rookie stars Gerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan. The price was listed as "1200/."

Brian asked the sales clerk,"Is it worth twelve dollars?"

"Yes," said the clerk.

"I'll take it," Brian said.

The store owner assumed the card had been stolen sometime later that day. As you might expect, kids who were shown Brian's bargain soon showed up to collect the shop owner's $100 reward for information about the missing card.

As a serious collector, Brian had reason to know the card ought to be worth more than $12.00. But he paid the asking price with cash and saved his receipt.

Was Brian a thief? A felon? Or was he just lucky, bargaining for a good price... ? Was there a law against what Brian did? There wasn't. And, since Brian's family and the shop owner settled out of civil court (which the author defines), agreeing to sell the card at fair market price and donate the money to charity, there still isn't a ruling to protect a merchant from such mistakes. Should there be?

But... "THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW!"

People often use the word crime to mean "something bad"--but the legal definition of a crime is "an act that the law makes punishable." If there is no law against a particular behavior, it isn't a crime, no matter how bad it is.

A crime is different from other forms of wrongdoing in that a crime is seen as harmful to society as a whole.

Can we have both LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?

There is a reason why the symbol for justice is a balance scale, as Teri Kanefield's forthcoming Guilty?: Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of Justice (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014) points out. Clearly, there can't be a law against everything someone thinks is bad. And what people once thought was legal and even a "good" thing for society--wife-beating, corporal punishment for children at home and school, segregation by race, withholding full civil rights to women, African Americans, and Indians, even smoking in public places--has completely changed over time. Actions that once were illegal and subject to prosecution have become legal and acceptable, again for the good of "society as a whole."

Kanefield points out that liberty AND justice are sometimes in opposition to each other: "Justice" requires that all wrongdoers be brought to trial and punished, for the "social good" of all--just retribution and protection from further crime. "Liberty" provides that all should be equal before the law and that "due process" protects personal liberty by limiting the power of police and courts, requiring restrictions on "unreasonable searches and seizures," no "testimony" against themselves, "privacy" in papers and personal effects, speedy trial by a jury of peers, legal representation for all, and "the presumption of innocence until proven guilty." Kane carefully shows in actual case studies the many problems that occur with applying either theory of law, discussing at some length the seminal Supreme Court rulings in Plessy V. Ferguson, Tapp V. Ohio, Gideon V. Wainwright, Miranda V. Arizona and Karemata V. U.S., and discusses the difficulties in interpreting "unreasonable," "self-incrimination," "due process," and even "presumption of innocence," which is actually an unwritten "common law" derived from old English custom. Even the widely quoted "you have the right to remain silent" is often unobserved in practice, depending upon "precedence" in court actions for whatever enforceability it has, as the author shows in a case in which "silence" is legally interpreted as evidence of guilt.

That liberty and justice for all is a work in progress is the theme of Guilty?: Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face of Justice.. Kanefield's writing is clear and engaging, and she provides photos, fact boxes, and tables (one showing that California's famous "Five Strikes and Out" law is less effective in reducing crime than no such law at all) provide instant access to background information, and her coverage of key cases by name is included in the generous bibliography, along with a glossary, chapter notes, and extensive indexing. With elective courses in criminal justice now offered in many middle and high schools, this book is a useful resource for additional reading for secondary civics students, one that raises for thought the big questions: What is a crime? What is the purpose of punishment? Who decides? And which laws best serve the "good of society as a whole?"GTChttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-38602749.post-73485029358317830082014-11-03T00:30:00.002-05:002014-11-03T08:36:56.807-05:00It's in the Cards! Dangerous Deceptions (Palace of Spies) by Sarah Zettel
I could not tear my mind away from Sebastian Sandford and his abrupt return to my life.

Given the manner in which I'd left my uncle's house and all that had happened since, it never occurred to me that anyone would want to enforce the betrothal contract that existed between my uncle and Sebastian's father. I'd assumed the contract was broken by my uncle's failure to bring me to the church. But now the horrible possibility that I had been wrong descended upon me. As an underaged girl, I remained completely under the control of my nearest male relative. I could be given in marriage to a street sweeper or sold to an indenture to the Virginia Colony, as he saw fit.

I will admit, given that my other choice was Sebastian, street sweepers and colonies had a certain appeal.

Peggy had thought that as a newly favorite maid-in-waiting at the court of the Hanoverian Princess and Prince of Wales, she was safe from the betrothal in which her nefarious Uncle Pierpont had attempted to bind her. Peggy had barely fought off Sebastian's most improper assault, and when she refused the marriage, she had been literally thrown out of her uncle's house, leaving her orphaned and on the street at the tender age of sixteen. But her mysterious benefactor, Lord Tierney, manages to place her at the Court of St. James, not from kindness, but to serve as an impostor, a spy against the Jacobite conspiracy working to place James Stuart on the throne of England.

Peggy has begun to feel safe at court, having mastered a proper courtier's art of flirtation, the endless little dishonesties at cards, and the rivalrous intrigues of the maids-in-waiting Mary and Sophie, and welcomes the loyalty of her friend Molly Lepell and her cousin Olivia, her true love, Matthew, and the special favor of the six-year-old dog-loving Princess Anne. But she is thrown off-balance by the appearance of Sebastian, whose powerful uncle, Lord Lynnfield, threatens to enforce their marriage contract against her wishes. Peggy's intuition tells her that Sebastian's reappearance is some sort of blackmail to ensure the complicity of her banker uncle, and she has a suspicion that Jacobite loyalists are behind it somewhere. Politics aside, Peggy knows she cannot sacrifice her love for Matthew and marry the brutal Sebastian at any cost.

It all comes down to a wager at cards, in which Lord Lynnfield offers Peggy freedom from the betrothal and a wager of a small fortune only if she can beat his nephew at the gambling table, witnessed by the Princess Caroline, Prince George, and the full court.

My prologue was over. The stage was ready for me. "Mr. Sandford," I said cheerfully, "I believe you asked me for a game of piquet when we last met."

Her Royal Highness had risen. She moved forward to join my party. It was not to be missed that His Royal Highness remained at her side.

"This is most irregular, Lord Lynnfield," she remarked.

But despite her sovereign's offer of support, Peggy agrees that the game go forward. Her opponent is careful not to win too quickly. At long last the deadly game comes down to the last trick.

I pressed my hand to my bosom. Dear God, I must have counted right.

He lay his cards down. "This hand is mine, I believe." The whole of the crowd gasped.

"And there it is, Miss Fitzroy. You're mine."

But, as it turns out, Peggy Fitzroy has a final card up her sleeve, or rather, inexplicably resting on the floor under Lynnfield's own foot.

Peggy turns the tables most literally, but there are plenty of swashbuckling abductions, daring rescues, and quite a dunking in the dank and fetid waters of the Thames before our heroine emerges, high and dry in a surprisingly revealing but unsuspected conclusion, one which assures her rapt readers yet another courtly adventure in the delicious forthcoming Dangerous Deceptions (Palace of Spies) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). Life at the court of the future King George I of England is anything but polite company, and author Sarah Zettel promises another historical fiction romp, a spy-in-the-salon page turner in this unique and riveting series, with its indomitable heroine Peggy Fitzroy overcoming cardsharpers, blackguards, murderous conspirators, and her cruelly confining corset stays to triumph over all.

To find out more about how Peggy Fitzroy finds herself in such a royal pickle, read my review of Book 1 in this series, Palace of Spies, here. And for those readers who just can't wait for another round of palace intrigues in the the third book in this trilogy, may I recommend Carolyn Meyer's The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots (Young Royals), reviewed here for a lusty review of Jocobean conspiracies.GTChttp://email@example.com


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Rob Marshall, Scorsese, "High School Musical" Win DGA Awards
By Zachary Pincus-Roth
05 Feb 2007
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/105464.htmlRob Marshall, the famed Broadway and film director-choreographer, won a Directors Guild of America Award in the Musical Variety category for NBC's "Tony Bennett: An American Classic."
Martin Scorsese won in the Feature Film category for "The Departed." Among the other awards, Kenny Ortega won the Children's Programs prize for "High School Musical."
The awards were given out in a Feb. 3 ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City, CA.
Marshall previously won the DGA award for Feature Film in 2002 for "Chicago." He was also nominated in the Musical Variety category in 1999 for "Annie."


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