The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow (2011)

The sounds of men hitting speed bags and jumping rope mingled with the gutteral grunts of exertion and blended in a strange primitive symphony. The place also had a distinctive animal smell that was warm and damp like a butcher shop on a summer day (p 101).

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern is a tall, lanky youth when his boxing lessons with champion Max Schmeling begin at the Berlin Boxing Club. Hitler’s Nazi party is just coming to power in Germany and Karl is being bullied at school for his Jewish heritage, though he considers himself a Red with no religious affiliation.

He finds refuge in his apprenticeship at the boxing club, strength training and secretly meeting the beautiful Greta. He is also a passionate cartoon artist. Then his world begins to crumble. His father’s bussiness disappears, his family is evicted and his relationship with Greta is forbidden by law and her parents. Though reluctant to leave, it soon becomes clear to Karl’s father he must take his family out of the country.

Fluid prose, metaphors that reinforced the time period and the narrator’s youthful perspective, a well-paced plot and genuine characters define this novel. While there are several crescendos, the denouement was gripping and a wave of terror clutched at me. An excellent read.

Read other reviews:
Book Smugglers
Opps… Wrong Cookie

I also recommend:

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris (2011)

King Arthur covered his eyes with his hands. Sometimes in those early days he wondered what it would take to prove to his knights that courtesy was as important as courage (p 10).

From the author of The Squire’s Tale (read my review) comes the third in the Kinghts’ Tales series of transitional readers. Morris takes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and makes it highly accessable to an elementary school audience.

What appears at first to be a straightforward episodic tale quickly takes on depth and humor, making it one of the best I’ve read all year. After reading Jonathan Hunt’s comments on Heavy Medal, I’m convinced it needs a sticker (and wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a book for young readers win?)! I especially support his point on length and ecomony of language. If this book can manage to be concise, humorous and true to the spirit of the original, why can’t a book like Breadcrumbs?

Read other reviews:
Heavy Medal
Kidlit Reviews
There’s a Book
The Excelsior Files

If you enjoy this, I also recommend:

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (2011)

A boy got a splinter in his eye, and his heart turned cold. Only two people noticed. One was a witch, and she claimed him for her own. The other was his best friend. And she went after him in ill-considered shoes, brave and completely unprepared (p 155).

Hazel does not fit in at her new school. Most of the children treat her differently though she doesn’t understand why. At home, her mother struggles to provide for her after her father left. Her one happiness is her best friend, Jack. Jack does not belittle her thinking differently and imaginatively. Instead, they are partners in adventure. But Jack also befriends the very boys who tease Hazel, splitting his time deftly between her and them.

One day, a shard from an enchanted mirror enters through his eye and goes directly to his heart. Jack changes. He is mean to Hazel. Then he disappears all together.

Now it is up to Hazel to enter the woods and rescue her friend, Jack, the Prince of Eternity.

Breadcrumbs is, in many ways, a book about books. I counted references to at least ten different titles including: The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Golden Compass, The Snow Queen, Harry Potter, The Keys to the Kingdom, When You Reach Me, and Coraline. Hazel is described as a reader and the author pulls from these sources to describe her experiences.

There was a Nithling in her stomach, chomping away at everything around it. Tears filled her eyes, and she squeezed them away (p 74).

Nithlings are fearsome animal-like creatures formed from nothing in Garth Nix’s The Keys to the Kingdom series. For well-read children, these references will add a layer of understanding and connect prior emotional experiences to the current pleasure.

The first part of the story is (too) slow to unfold. It focuses on Hazel’s friendship with Jack, her tense relationship with her mother, and her unhappiness at her new school. We also learn of a mischievous troll-like creature named Mal and his twisted mirror. His magic mirror “took beautiful things and made them ugly, and it took ugly things and made them hideous” (p 70). When this mirror shatters high above earth, a shard falls into Jack’s eye, changing him.

Part Two picks up the pace with Hazel entering the woods. Here we see shades of Anderson’s other fairy tales and here Ursu explores a variety of themes. Her maticulous exposition pays off (for the most part) as Hazel struggles with identity and Jack weighs the painful reality of his distressed home life vesus the cold serenity of the Snow Queen’s palace. I couldn’t put the book down once Hazel entered the woods.

Read other reviews:
Book Smugglers
Fuse #8
Good Books Good Wine
Jenn’s Bookshelves
Kirkus (starred)
Publisher’s Weekly (starred)

Breadcrumbs | Advance Reader Edition | September 27, 2011 | HarperCollins Childrens | ISBN 978-0062015051 | 336 pages | Ages 8-14 | $16.99

The Snow Queen | Hans Christian Anderson | retold by Naomi Lewis and illustrated by Christian Birmingham | $18.99

Mock Newbery 2012 Lists

The Ocean County Library KidLit Mock Newbery Club is in full swing. Here is a list of contenders thus far:

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill
Amelia Lost by Candice Fleming
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhai Lai
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Bigger than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder
Hound Dog True by Linda Urban
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Check out other lists:

A Fuse #8 Production
Eva Perry Mock Newbery Club
OLA/WLA Mock Newbery
SJCPL Mock Newbery

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (9/13/2011)

Outside, the wind picked up and rustled through the leaves on the giant trees surrounding the house. Voices droned from Robby’s CB radio, which he insisted stay on all night. It didn’t bother Ben that much. Being deaf in one ear had it’s advantages: he could sleep with his good ear on the pillow to block out all the noise. Ben used a similar trick in school. He’d lean his good ear on his hand when he wanted to tune out his teacher or his classmates. It made it easier to read the books about outer space that he hid in his desk (p 17).

Brian Selznick’s follow up to the convention-defying The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which went on to win the 2008 Caldecott medal) is another novel told in words and pictures.

Two stories, set 50 years apart unfold. In words, we meet Ben Wilson, an orphan living in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. A book called Wonderstruck and a book mark are the only clues that might lead to his father, a man his beloved mother could never bring herself to talk about.

Set 50 years prior and told through pictures, we learn about Rose, an isolated, lonely girl who dreams of New York, visible to her from her bedroom window on the other side of the Hudson River. As both stories unfold and settings overlap, readers begin to see the connection between these two curious, courageous young people.

Those who loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret (and really, who didn’t love it?) will not be disappointed. Wonderstruck is every bit as amazing as Hugo Cabret. Even better. Selznick does his research. His illustrations are beautiful. His story is tight.

Finally, I’ll have something to hand patrons who ask for something “just like” Hugo Cabret! Relief! Can we consider this for a Newbery, please? We could get to work on correcting this. You can read a bit more and see an illustration at GalleyCat.

Read Nina Lindsay’s take on Wonderstruck‘s Newbery/Caldecott chances or head over to Fuse #8 for a great review. Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review.

Advance Reader Copy | September 13, 2011 | Scholastic | 640 pages | ISBN 978-0-545-02789-2 | $29.99

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis (2011)

At first, all I could see was the head of a bird above a pile of sticks, a creamy head with a brown stripe across the eye. Then the rest of the bird appeared. It was huge, with dark brown wings and a white belly. There was something prehistoric about it, like a beast of a lost world, too big for this landscape (p 28).

The first time Callum saw Iona McNair, she was standing as if frozen in a cold river.  Moments later, she plucks a trout out of the water with her hands. Callum’s friends Rob and Euan recognize her though, and send her away. Torn between his mates and a girl he finds intriguing, Callum doesn’t always do the right thing. But she has shared a secret with him. Osprays have returned to Scottland and they are nesting on Callum’s farm.

This story had shades of Bridge to Terabithia and Flipped to it but the characters here are never as fully endeared to the reader as they are in those excellent books. However, characters are clearly draw and their interactions realistic, though unsentimental and blunt in their portrayal.

The writing is stronger when the author tackles nature and the animals therein; therefore, readers will eagerly follow the female osprey, Iris, whose journey from Scotland to Africa and back again is tracked by Callum, his buddies and eventually their whole school. Some of my favorite chapters were those intermittent ones told from Iris’s perspective.

The novel includes beautiful illustrations by Yuta Onoda. It has received a starred review from Kirkus.

Library copy |  Antheum Books for Young Readers, a division of Simon & Schuster | 304 pages | May 24, 2011 | ISBN 978-1442414457 | $15.99

The Flint Heart by Katherine and John Paterson (9/2011)

At first blow, the flint split into three pieces, the center of which was a bright black heart with a hole right through it. Fum was astounded. He had earned thirty-two sheep and thirty-two lambs with one blow of his ax. It game him an eerie feeling. He knew that such a thing did not happen by chance (p 15).

A note explains The Flint Heart is “freely abridged” from Eden Philpott’s 1910 fantasy. It begins during the Stone Age when the flint heart is made with the blessing of the Thunder God to satiate a greedy man’s desire to be chief of his village. Many years later, it is found by a kind-hearted father, Billy Jago. Billy quickly transforms into a grasping, cruel father. Desperate to have their old father back, two of his children seek out the fairies for advice. Thier paths cross with many colorful, whimsical characters until the flint heart is destroyed.

This short, beautifully illustrated novel meanders intermittently, but overall it is charming. I have no knowledge of Philpott’s writing, but fans of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane will enjoy Paterson’s short novel. 

Advance Reader Copy | Sept 2011 | Candlewick | 304 pages | ISBN 978-0-7636-4712-4 | $19.99

Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy (US 2011)

Why, Pearl, didn’t you know
a poem doesn’t have to rhyme?
It does not have to be written
in a certain way
at a certain time.
No.
A poem comes
when it is needed
and writes itself
in the way it needs
to get its point across (p 63).

This novel struck me as rather unique. First, it is a novel in verse for young readers (I consider it a transitional book). Second, it tackles two delicate subjects, Alzheimer’s disease and death, not often addressed for this audience. And this is done well. Finally, Pearl, party of one, uses poetry to help make sense of the world. I don’t believe I’ve read anything that combines all of those qualities in a single book.

Pearl feels alone at school but at home, she has her mother and her grandmother. The harmony of their lives is disrupted as it becomes clear grandmother, who has taught Pearl so much, including poetry, is dying from Alzheimer’s disease.

When her class begins studying poetry, rhyme and rythm, Pearl finds her assignments difficult. How can she write rhyme and rythm in a world that holds neither for her?

Her humorous attempts to complete writing assignments, often at her teacher’s expense, earn her attention from a handsome boy in class. Reeling from the death of her grandmother and as even Pearl’s teacher comes to understand her poetry, Pearl discovers she is not a group of one. She is not alone.

A well-balanced read with a strong voice, I especially enjoyed the illustrations sprinkled throughout.

This review is based on an advance reader copy provided by the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. Read the Kirkus review.

The Tapestry: The Fiend and the Forge by Henry Neff (2010)

“Aren’t we monsters, too?” he asked. “What’s happening to the rest of humanity while we hide behind our walls and gates and treaties? Doesn’t our order exist to protect those who can’t protect themselves? Isn’t it our responsibility to hunt down monsters like Vyndra? Isn’t that the whole point of studying mystics and combat and all the rest” (p 240)?

In this third installment of The Tapestry series, Neff continues the break-neck pace set in book two, The Siege of Rowan. When we last left off, Max had just turned over the Book of Thoth to the demon lord Astaroth in exchange for sanctuary for everyone at Rowan. David, a sorcerer also of the Old Magic like Max, was severely wounded by Astaroth, and is now looking to deepen his knowledge of the arcane and powerful. To what end, we are not sure. He works in secrecy.

Max struggles with the knowledge that while those at Rowan are safe, those humans under Astaroth’s domains are dying or worse. So he sets out on his own, looking for revenge and justice. He is at first conflicted as he sees the lush landscape created by Astaroth when he expected fire and brimstone. However, it soon becomes clear Astaroth is experimenting with nature (via the Book of Thoth) to create misshapen and sometimes hideous creatures.

As Max makes his way to Blys, he helps those he can before being taken prisoner by Prusias, who forces Max to be his Gladiator and champion. Meanwhile, David is working on a plan to destroy Astaroth.

This is a fast pace novel with a lot of action. Sometimes, the action happens a little too quickly for comfort. At other times, the pace slows and we learn a lot about  this world of Neff’s. It’s not a book you can skim. Skip a paragraph and you might skip a whole battle!

It is a rich world and, while the chacters never feel as near and dear as those from Harry Potter, Neff raises a lot of big questions for his readers to ponder. Needless to say, I will be waiting for the arrival of The Maelstrom in Fall 2012.

While I was reading, I thought Max resembeled Max of Where the Wild Things Are fame, especially when he claimed to be the wildest thing around. And then I checked out Neff’s website and found this. Check out Max’s journey across the sea (and I didn’t make that connection!). Very cool.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst, Illustrated by Lane Smith (2010)

I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna, gonna get
A bronto-bronto-bronto
Brontosaurus for a pet.
I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna, gonna get
A bronto-bronto-bronto
Brontosaurus for a pet (p 21).

Lulu is a little girl who doesn’t like to be told, “No.” So she kicks and screams until she gets her way. When she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday, her parents say no and hold firm. Lulu decides to get a brontosaurus of her own and sets of for the forest.

Along the way, she encounters pesky bugs (which she kills with spray), a tiger (which she bonks), and a bear (which she stomps). Then, finally, she meets a brontosaurus. Only he doesn’t want to be Lulu’s pet. Instead he makes her his pet in this cautionary tale.

Lulu is not happy with this reversal of fortune, but the patient brontosaurus insists she will be well looked after as his pet. Lulu realizes her only option is to run away.

Viorst has some fun with the text here, often addressing the reader directly and taking artistic license because it is her story, after all. Lane Smith’s illustrations are adorable.

Read alikes: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Jim Who Ran Away from his Nurse and was Eaten by a Lion

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Prose and Kahn