Archive for August, 2009

Alice’s Pick of the Day

August 31, 2009 at 2:39 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

34662727Me with You, by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Christopher Denise; ages 3 and up

Me with You is a loving, rhyming story about a grandfather bear and his granddaughter who enjoy spending time together: having tea, playing ball, each comforting the other when he or she is not feeling well.  In their relationship, the two are happy to be who they are with different interests and styles “while knowing that together–they are more”!   The illustrations give the story a lovely tone and feel, whether a sunny day or stormy night.  Cuddle up with your granddad or granddaughter and share this delightful  tale with this wonderful pair of bears!!

Author Kristy Dempsey will be visiting Hooray for Books on Sunday, September 6 at 2 p.m. to read her book, Me with You, so come on down and pick up your autographed copy.  We look forward to seeing you!!

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Patrick’s Book of the Day 08/29/09

August 29, 2009 at 11:40 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Mrs. Spritzer's Garden CoverMrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou (Ages 3-6)

Every year in September Mrs. Spitzer begins to tend her garden to ensure that all the small plants get a good start and grow up healthy.  She knows that some plants are showy and some plants are shy, some need special attention and care, and others just sprout right up on their own.  All year long Mrs. Spitzer tends her garden. When June arrives, she puts away her tools for the summer. Her daily calendar and plan book await new seedlings for the next year!

This is a delightful and sweet story from the author of young adult fantasy novels such as Fire and Hero’s Song. The analogy of the teacher as gardener and students as her plants makes for an endearing story that will bring a smile to any special teacher or little one in your life.

Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou; 2001; Harcourt Books; $9.95

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Young Adult Book Club – August 2009

August 27, 2009 at 11:39 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 14 and Up

when you reach me

On August 25, our wonderful group of young adult fiction lovers gathered to discuss Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. All of us enjoyed this thought-provoking book. (Quick spoiler alert: I’m writing so those of you who have read the book can follow along. If you don’t want to read referenced details, skip the section below.) Here are some main topics that came up:

  • How Stead strikes a balance with Miranda’s perceptiveness. Miranda catches on to a lot of adult realizations, such as the concept of her mother’s career frustration. Yet at the same time, she is somewhat oblivious to the events at school such as differences in boy-girl adolescent friendships, social class tensions, and racial prejudice. This well-balanced approach makes Miranda likeable and also believable.
  • The light touch used with regards to time travel. We talked about how it was explained simply, but was also tough to grasp. We laughed a little at how Julia seemed to “get it” so much faster than we did. Some found the chapter layout a little disorienting.
  • That the book has something for everyone. We could all relate to some aspect of the story such as friendships, romance, family relationships, or coming-of-age. Even though this book is geared for 11-14, we thought that older readers might enjoy the story if it was available to them—such as borrowing from a younger sibling.
  • Stead’s attention to detail. The narrative could have been too far-reaching, and we commended the use of “clues”: a short leg here, a bank of dollar bills there…it all worked for us!
  • We had mixed reviews on the ending. Everyone could agree that all the pieces fell well into place, but we were undecided on whether the style of the ending was a letdown or the natural conclusion.
  • An interesting side effect is that we all were considering rereading A Wrinkle in Time.

king of the screwupsJoin us next month on Tuesday, September 29 to discuss our next pick. We’ll be reading KL Going’s King of the Screwups. Liam suffers from the trials and tribulations of too much popularity in high school. You’ll enjoy the unique characters and humorous moments in this post-millennial bildungsroman.

Would you like to join us? E-mail us at info@hooray4books.com or call 703-548-4092. We can order and hold copies of the book for you.

Not located in the area? Don’t worry, we’ll be posting discussion notes after the meeting. We would love to know what you think of the book, and you can let us know here on the blog.

King of the Screwups, Harcourt, $17.00

If you read When You Reach Me, we would be thrilled to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Rebeka’s pick of the day 8/24/09

August 24, 2009 at 3:42 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged , , ,

Marley Goes to School

Marley Goes to School by John Grogan (ages 3-6)

Whether you are heading back to school this September or not, you will love this hilarious follow-up to the bestselling Bad Dog, Marley! and A Very Marley Christmas. Cassie is all ready to go to her first day of school and Marley doesn’t quite understand why he can’t go with her.  When he decides to dig his way out of the back yard and sniff his way to school to find her, you can imagine the kind of mischief and trouble that only Marley could find at school.  Whether he is freeing mice from science class or sneaking hot dogs from the cafeteria you can be sure that Marley is having a great time when he goes to school!

Marley Goes to School; John Grogan; $17.99; originally pub. 2009; Harper Collins Publishers

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Maryam’s Pick of the Day

August 16, 2009 at 8:53 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8 ·Tagged , , , , , ,

biscuit finds a friendWoof! Woof! Our friend Biscuit is coming to Hooray for Books! Biscuit will be here on the 29th of August during our Back to School storytime at 11:30am. Unfamiliar with the books? Biscuit is a beginner reader series that is also perfect for a bedtime story. In Biscuit Finds a Friend, Biscuit is out for a walk and finds a baby duck. On each page of this book, it is fun to look for a flower.

Biscuit Finds a Friend by Alyssa Satin Capucilli; I Can Read! Series; HarperCollins; $3.99

Best Wishes and Happy Reading

-Maryam

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Patrick’s Pick of the Day 08/15/09

August 15, 2009 at 12:03 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages 8 - 10 ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

What Was I Scared Of coverWhat Was I Scared Of? A Glow-in-the-Dark Encounter by Dr. Seuss (Ages 3-6)

From the original collection of stories in The Sneeches, What Was I Scared Of? now comes in its own stand-alone format. The main character (one of Seuss’s whimsical creations) meets up time and again with a pair of empty green pants. No matter what he does or where he goes, the pants are there: bicycling past in the town square; rowing along in a river; inside a Snide-field. What are those pants there for? What are those pants just standing in the air for?

Young readers–and the young at heart!–will enjoy this clever classic that teaches that sometimes scary things are more afraid of you than you are of them. Now in a new glow-in-the-dark format, readers can rediscover this wonderful Seuss tale!

What Was I Scared Of? A Glow-in-the-Dark Encounter; Dr. Seuss; $11.99; originally pub. 1961; new edition pub. Aug. 2009; Random House Books

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Maryam’s Website of the Day 8/9/09

August 9, 2009 at 11:54 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 14 and Up, Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages 8 - 10, Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , ,

booksWhat Should I Read Next?  http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search

At some point we all ask ourselves, “What should I read next?”, especially after finishing a really great book. On this website you just have to plug in the title and author (though the website will guess the author if you don’t remember) of a recent read, and it will give you lists of ten books at a time that other readers have recommended. Also, if you sign up with the website, you can create your own book list, which allows you to choose multiple books at once to find even more selective recommendations for what you should read next. 

Best wishes and happy reading,

Maryam

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Patrick’s Picks of the Day 08/08/2009

August 8, 2009 at 9:40 am · Filed under Ages 8 - 10 ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friendship According to Humphrey book coverFriendship According to Humphrey, by Betty Birney (ages 8-10)

Humphrey the hamster is not only the class pet of Room 26, but also a problem solver.  Every weekend he gets to go home with one of the children from the class, each of whom is encountering some kind of problem: fighting with their friend, being bullied, or just being shy because they are the new kid in class.  Humphrey helps each of the kids find a resolution in his own unique way, and as he does, he also learns a valuable lesson about friendship that helps him to overcome his jealousy of another class pet, Og the Frog.

Told in a first person narrative style by Humphrey himself, this story is cute and clever.  Author Betty Birney gives  a full characterization to Humphrey, who not only “speaks (humans hear it as “squeak, squeak”), but who also comments on the world around him and cares very much for each and every character.  Each of the problems that the children encounter are mostly resolved within a chapter of the book, though there are a few that take longer. This makes the book a perfect chapter-at-a-time if you want to read it aloud.

Friendship According to Humphrey, by Betty G. Birney; 2008; Penguin Books; $5.99; ages 8-10


Chicken Dance book coverChicken Dance by Tammi Sauer; illustrated by Dan Santat (ages 3-6)

Marge and Lola are desperate to win the farm talent show, especially since the grand prize is tickets to see Elvis Poultry! But what talent can two chickens have that would be really unique? They try a number of different things, from flying to juggling flaming batons to high wire acts, without success. Finally, on the night of the talent show, the chickens figure they will just be themselves. While they don’t wind up winning the show, they do wind up meeting Elvis Poultry due to their rocking act that had the super star ”all shook up.”

A funny new entry into the feathered foul genre, Chicken Dance contains full page color illustrations of the chickens’ antics. Clever little touches in the artwork add humor, such as the animal judges holding up their score cards and a goat wearing a rainbow wig. Elvis Poultry is created in all his bejeweled jumpsuit glory. Those familiar with Elvis Presley will get a chuckle or two out of this characterization. Don’t miss out on Poultry’s play list on the back of the dust jacket, which lists tunes like “(Keep Away from the) Hound Dog,” and “My Wing Around Your Neck.” A funny read for any hen, farm, or dance aficionado!

Chicken Dance, by Tammi Sauer; illustrated by Dan Santat; 2009; Sterling Publishing; $14.95; ages 3-6

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Megan’s Pick of the Day 8/7/09

August 7, 2009 at 10:44 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Stretch, by Doreen Cronin, illus. by Scott Menchin, Ages 2-6

9781416953418Get ready to exercise those muscles! Join our doggy friend as he leads us in a stretching adventure–to the ceiling, to the floor, with a whisper, and with a roar! Children can explore from the depths of the oceans to the heights of the sky as they get limber with this fast-paced picture book!

Doreen Cronin (author of the previous Bounce and Wiggle) provides text that is unfailingly energetic and joyful, encouraging young readers to join in on the adventure. Cronin’s enthusiastic words are paired flawlessly with bright illustrations by Scott Menchin. Bursting with color and texture, Menchin’s art is sure to engage parents and children alike! This fantastic new book is perfect for an action packed storytime with kids who like to get up and go!

Stretch, Doreen Cronin, Scott Menchin, pub. Aug. 2009, Atheneum Books

Want to explore other books to share with wiggly readers? Call us! We’re always happy to provide recommendations. 703-548-4092. Or email: info@hooray4books.com.

Stretch your imagination with a good book today!

–Miss Megan

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First Young Adult Book Club Pick

August 4, 2009 at 11:14 am · Filed under Booksellers Diary, Events

Never grew out of young adult fiction? Neither did we! Join our brand-new book club for adults reading YA books (loosely defined as for ages 12-18). We’ll meet the last Tuesday of each month at the store from 6:30–7:30 p.m. The first month’s meeting will be August 25. 

when you reach meOur first pick is Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. If you remember and love Madeline L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time series, you’ll have a lot in common with the protagonist, Miranda. She’ll take you with her as this engaging, mysterious story unfolds.

Would you like to join us? E-mail us at info@hooray4books.com or call 703-548-4092. We can order and hold copies of the book for you. Make sure and finish it by August 25 to take part in the discussion.

Not located in the area? Don’t worry, we’ll be posting discussion notes after the meeting. We would love to know what you think of the book, and you can let us know here on the blog.

When You Reach Me, Wendy Lamb Books (Random House), $15.99

What are your favorite young adult books? Let us know in the comments section!

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