Tandem Insights

Fashion Design Round Up

The fourth season of Project Runway just wrapped up this week. To stave off any withdrawal symptoms, here are a couple fantastic fashion design books.

Fashion Design: The Art of Style by Jen Jones is a highly photographic, behind-the-scenes peek at fashion design and designers, past and present. And, taking a more in depth look at one designer, Vera Wang by Anne M. Todd delves into her design roots as well as what motivates and inspires her to create today.

Interested in becoming a designer yourself? Check out these two tomes. Trendsetter: Have You Got What It Takes to Be a Fashion Designer? by Lisa Thompson looks at just what the title asks. And get started yourself by transforming clothes you already have with the ideas in Sew Subversive: Down and Dirty DIY for the Fabulous Fashionista by Melissa Rannals.

Fashion can be fiction too. From the publisher of Gossip Girl comes Poseur by Rachel Maude. Four Hollywood Hills sophomore girls couldn’t be more different, so when a school class forces them together to create a fashion label, the sparks fly.

Don’t Not Read These Books!

With Leap Year Day last week, we encouraged everyone to get out there and do something. This week, we’re featuring books about do not-ing. We dug around and found some wonderfully amusing and informative titles, all starting with Don’t or Do Not.

How could any list of Don’t books be complete without Mo Willems’s hilarious, perfect-for-reading-aloud Pigeon books: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!?

              

On the informative side, Don't Squash That Bug!: The Curious Kid's Guide to Insects by Natalie Rompella introduces insects through colorful photos, spreads, and sidebars, while Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Most Intriguing Mysteries from DK is full of enigmas from the Mona Lisa's hidden past to the history of Area 51, from lost worlds to secret codes.

Don't forget to check out thist list of more great Don't books!

Book of the Week: The Willoughbys

The tag along the bottom of the front cover—A Novel Nefariously Written & Ignominiously Illustrated by the Author—piqued my curiosity.  I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The discussion therein of what to name a baby found on the Willoughby’s front porch sealed the deal. The baby is named Ruth because, as the oldest Willoughby child notes, they “are the ruthless Willoughbys.”

Hand this hilarious book about four children trying desperately to become orphans—while at the same time their parents try desperately to become childless—to fans of Lemony Snicket.

Author Lois Lowry pokes fun at various conventions found in orphan-heavy children’s books, even providing a bibliography at book’s end with amusing annotations for a handful of such books. Her Glossary is also not to be missed for those seeking to suck every last morsel of humor from this book. The nanny she has conjured up is a delight; instead of the horrid, mean type the Willoughby parents were seeking, this nanny is kind and an excellent cook to boot. Naturally, Lowry uses the nanny to take aim at yet another famous character: Mary Poppins. When asked if she is like the sugar- and song-dispensing caregiver, Nanny sniffs back, “Not one bit like that fly-by-night woman. It almost gives me diabetes just to think of her: all those disgusting spoonfuls of sugar! None of that for me.”

Tattoo Tomes

Tattoos…  They seem to be everywhere these days, especially on the arms of athletes. They’ve also made their way into books.  Here are a couple of our favorite tattooed tomes.

My favorite work of tattoo fiction is The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven. It tells the story of Jack and his super-cool friend Charlie, who wakes up one day with a super-cool, moving black tattoo. The tattoo gives Charlie super powers. Or so they think. The tattoo is actually the mark of the Scourge, an ancient demon out to destroy the world. And it’s up to Jack to stop it.

The Monster Blood Tattoo series by D.M. Cornish begins with Foundling. It follows the life of orphan Rossamund Bookchild, an orphaned boy stuck with a girl’s name, through a fabulously imagined fantasy world filled with incredible characters. Humans here fight a constant battle against the monsters, with the tattoos being the mark of a monster killer. Look for Lamplighter, the second book in this exciting series in April!

Another set of tattoo books is Suzanne Weyn’s Bar Code Tattoo and its sequel Bar Code Rebellion. In the world of these books, it’s 2025 and the government, controlled by a shadowy corporation, starts requiring bar code tattoos on everyone. Seventeen-year-old Kayla resists, especially after the tattoo drives her father to commit suicide, and becomes part of a rebellion.

One of the ALA Quick Picks in 2007 also featured tattoos: Body Type: Intimate Images Etched in Flesh by Ina Saltz. This one looks at typography, as it is used in tattoos, which might sound dull, but results in fabulous photos of tattooed messages that range from the hilarious to the deeply touching.

Featured List: Groundhog Day

What’s the deal with the groundhog and its shadow again?  February 2nd, a.k.a Groundhog Day, is the day we dread or adore, depending on our love of snow and cold.  If the groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, watch out! – more winter is on the way. But if it doesn’t see its shadow, spring is coming soon.  These delightful books feature our furry friend, the groundhog, and its special day.

                             

Pig Out on Books!

In honor of the vast quantities of food that will be consumed on Thanksgiving, we thought we’d highlight picture books featuring PIGS!

First there is the (relatively) new classic: Olivia by Ian Falconer. Her latest adventure, Olivia Helps with Christmas, which has just been published, is all about getting ready for the holiday—how she “helps” her family prepare for Christmas while watching for Santa…and waiting for Santa…and watching and waiting for Santa some more, all in true Olivia fashion.

Our two newest pig favorites are the Elephant and Piggie early reader series by Mo Willems, and The Adventures of Max and Pinky picture books by Maxwell Eaton III. Lovable characters, humorous stories, and brilliant, deceptively simple illustrations make these books irresistible.

           

In the twisted tales category, two outlandish versions of the Three Little Pigs story stand out: David Wiesner’s The Three Pigs, in which the wolf blows the pigs right out of the story, and Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!, in which the wolf finally gets to tell his side of the tale.

Here's a list of more prime pig picture books.

Book of the Week: The Golden Compass

Anything I can say about The Golden Compass will be overshadowed by both the awards it has won—ALA Notable, ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults, Horn Book Fanfare Honor, BCCB Blue Ribbon, Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Carnegie Medal (England), Carnegie of Carnegies (best children’s book of all time in England), Guardian Prize for Fiction (England), not to mention four starred reviews—and the book itself.

The Golden Compass is the first book in an incredible trilogy, featuring 11-year-old orphan Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon. The daemon is the first of author Philip Pullman’s amazing creations. A daemon is a sort of soul/conscience made physical; it takes the form of an animal, but the form isn’t fixed until adolescence, so children like Lyra have daemons that are constantly changing from one animal to the next.  (Confession: I so want a daemon!)

Lyra lives at Jordan College in a world very close to ours, yet very different also. Her adventure begins when she hides in a wardrobe and sees her Uncle Asriel show the college scholars some mysterious photos and artifacts that show evidence of Dust from the far north. Then, in quick succession, her best friend is captured by the Gobblers, and Lyra is taken in by the gorgeous, very charming, and very very frightening Mrs. Coulter, who is also chasing Dust. From there, Lyra's quest to save her friend sweeps her into the far north where she befriends gyptians, witches, an aeronaut from Texas, and even one of the panserbjorne, the talking armored polar bears of the north. The bear, Iorek Byrnison, and Pan, her daemon, and the mysterious golden alethiometer that answers questions through symbols are Lyra’s truest companions in this vast fantasy.

So what is this Dust? That question takes the entire trilogy to answer.  Lyra, a stubborn, charming, willful, innocent girl, comes to believe that it must be good because all the grown-ups around her who keep telling her it’s evil do such bad things themselves, like separating kids from their daemons which is infinitely painful.

And yes, it is the Church that is behind this horrible separating.  Talk has been swirling around The Golden Compass, as the opening date of the movie approaches, that it is anti-Christian. Here is what Pullman had to say in response: “In the world of the story — Lyra’s world — there is a church that has acquired great political power, rather in the way that some religions in our world have done at various times, and still do (think of the Taliban in Afghanistan). My point is that religion is at its best — it does most good — when it is farthest away from political power, and that when it gets hold of the power to (for example) send armies to war or to condemn people to death, or to rule every aspect of our lives, it rapidly goes bad. Sometimes people think that if something is done in the name of faith or religion, it must be good. Unfortunately, that isn’t true; some things done in the name of religion are very bad. That was what I was trying to describe in my story.”

While the main character of this story is an 11-year-old girl, so 11-year-olds might enjoy it, this book, the entire trilogy, is so rich and complex that I believe older readers, YAs and OAs (old adults) will get the most from it.

A movie based on The Golden Compass is coming out on December 7, 2007, so check back for a review of the movie and how well (or poorly) it compares to the book.

View this book in the Tandem Library Books online Bookstore

New and Exciting in October

October is winding to a close, and because all you’ll be thinking about next week is Halloween, here’s our round-up of some of our favorite new books from this month.

Emi and the Rhino Scientist by Mary Kay Carson with photographs by Tom Uhlman is the latest installment in the Scientists in the Field series, which features photo-filled books on topics ranging from tarantulas to the woods.  These fascinating (and, yes, educational) books can be used from upper elementary school on up. The Rhino Scientist is Terri Roth, and Emi is a rare Sumatra rhino. Sumatra rhinos are smaller with stubbier horns than the image I had in my head of “rhino.” This book chronicles Terri’s years-long struggle to help Emi become a mother. I’m giving away the ending by telling you that Terri and Emi are successful, with Emi becoming the first Sumatran rhino to give birth in captivity in over a century. However, you’ll have to read the book yourself to see the amazingly cute pictures of the new rhino calf!

Melanie Watts became a Tandem favorite with her book Scaredy Squirrel. Her new character--a big, wily, opinionated cat named Chester--is giving Scaredy Squirrel a run for his money. OK, we admit it, we’re suckers for books about books. Chester begins as the story of a mouse, but then Chester, the cat, takes over with a fat red marker, sending the mouse on vacation and turning the dog vegetarian. This hilarious picture book even features a red-marker dotted circle on the cover, with text noting “Place My Award Here.” Chester is nothing if not confident!

I was fortunate enough to see the “Newberyettes”--Sharon Creech, Kate DiCamillo, and Katherine Paterson--perform a short selection from Sharon Creech’s newest title, The Castle Corona, at the Newbery Reader's Theater in St. Paul two weeks ago. Kate DiCamillo made an excellent King Guido! King Guido rules over a very small feudal kingdom from the Castle Corona. The kingdom, and therefore Guido’s life, usually run very smoothly, but now there is a thief in the kingdom. He has stolen a pouch which two peasant children find. These peasant children, Pia and Enzio, discover that the contents of the pouch have the power to change their lives completely. David Diaz has provided gorgeous illustrations throughout this original fairy tale for older elementary school students and fairy tale lovers of all ages.

Here's a list of more exciting October releases.

Book of the Week: Long May She Reign

Meg Powers is back!  The smart, snarky, courageous daughter of the first female president of the United States, last seen back in 1989 in the ALA Best Book for Young Adults Long Live the Queen (currently, and very sadly, out of print) finally gets her chance to go to college. Long May She Reign is actually the fourth book in what used to be a trilogy, but it can easily stand alone.

Meg is trying, not very successfully, to recover from being kidnapping by terrorists. She was starved, beaten, had her knee viciously kicked to ruins, and was then left chained to the ground in an abandoned mine to die.  She escaped by smashing her hand with a rock, so it would fit through the handcuff, and crawling through the woods until she found help. Enough to traumatize anyone, but to top it all off, in Long May She Reign we learn that the terrorists are still out there. Somewhere. Anywhere.

So Meg, in addition to the normal pressures of starting college, has to deal with the nightmares and after-effects of the kidnapping, which include physical therapy and food issues. Then there's the press always following her, because she is a celebrity now. And to top it all off, there's the fact that her mother is the president, and her mother, as president, refused to negotiate with the terrorists. Meg is attempting to come to terms with the fact that her mother basically wrote her own daughter off.  Talk about having a lot on your plate freshman year...

But the book is not all dark. Humor seeps into it at every turn--and compassion and grace.  Meg tries to navigate college classes, new friendships, and a potential boyfriend, whose reputation is not stellar. This is a book about a college-age girl, so there is swearing, drinking, and a spot or two of making out, but it all is seamlessly part of the enthralling glimpse into a very complicated, very real life readers will get from Long May She Reign.

New and Exciting in September

I’ve been writing about graphic novels all week, but I have one more perfect for elementary students that I really want to mention before I move on…

Babymouse, Vol. 7: Skater Girl! This is a super-cute, super-pink graphic novel series following the daily trials of Babymouse, a school-aged girl mouse whose life never quite works out like it does in her dreams. Her whiskers are curly instead of straight. She has an annoying little brother, lots of homework, and a stuck locker. Then there’s her personal nemesis, the very popular Felicia Furrypaws. The books contrast her dreams, set off by a pink background, with her real life, black and white with the occasional splash of pink.

Also published in September is Newbery Honor winner Shannon Hale’s latest title Book of a Thousand Days. A retelling of an obscure Grimms’ fairy tale, this is the story of Dashti, a peasant maid, and her mistress, Lady Saren. They have been bricked into a tower for years because Lady Saren has refused to marry a man she both hates and fears. As she tries to cope with her temperamental mistress and find a way for them to escape, Dashti ends up falling in love with another of Lady Saren’s suitors, and it is this entanglement that will cause all three the great heartbreak, danger, and hope. I fell fully under the spell of this young adult fairy tale, like I hadn’t done for Hale’s books since Goose Girl.

Another book I grabbed as soon as it came in was Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures by George Sullivan. Filled with large, black and white images, most rarely seen, this book chronicles Helen’s life, from childhood to her last years. It was fascinating to see all these pictures of a woman I’d read so much about and even seen movies on, but had never really seen. This book complements the many biographies out there on Helen Keller, providing images to go with the words, something Helen herself never had. My one quibble is that I occasionally wish the pictures were better labeled, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and students from mid-elementary age on up, teachers, and librarians will too.

Here's a list of exciting September releases!