A STONE IN MY HAND by Cathryn Clinton

Clinton, Cathryn. A Stone in My Hand. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4772-8. $6.99. Age: 10 and up

Cathryn Clinton describes A Stone in My Hand as historical fiction. She says it is "the story of a single girl and single family"and that it is not meant to be a comment on present political situations. Nevertheless, the tale, that of an eleven-year-old Palestinian girl whose father has gone missing, is achingly current.

Malaak is so traumatized by her father's disappearance that she falls into near silence; in fact, rather than talk to her family and friends, she begins to confide in a bird named Abdo. Malaak talks to Abdo as she watches the world of 1988 and 1989 Gaza City: There are soldiers, guns, and bombs; curfews and school closures; hot city streets and cool nights on rooftop patios. She studies those around her: her sister, Hend, dreaming of one day having her own home and family, her mother growing ever paler and tired, and her brother, Hamid, whose eyes crackle with fire as he longs to join the Palestinian Liberation Organization. She observes her brother's friend, Tariq, who rarely speaks after witnessing the shooting of his father when Tariq was five years-old. Through all of this, Malaak imagines that she can see through Abdo's eyes and fly above the conflict surrounding her. Nonetheless, Malaak and her family cannot escape the violence and another tragedy threatens to once more render Malaak mute.

Clinton manages to provide a story of hope while staying within the confines of a reality that can have no happy ending. Death, violence, and the pain of a broken family are all present, but life, kindness, and resilience gained through friends and family are even more powerful. A Stone in My Hand is well suited for early adolescent readers. Yes, it is a far gentler rendering than it might be, but it is a good introduction and reminder of the complex and overwhelming dilemma that children and teenagers, not just adults, must face.

Stephanie Ashley

MARY'S PENNY by Tanya Landman

Landman, Tanya. Mary’s Penny. Illus. by Richard Holland. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4768-1. $15.99 US

In a time long ago, an old farmer faces a dilemma: which of his two sons will inherit and run his farm? He proposes a challenge: the son who could, with one penny, buy something that will fill the whole house would inherit the farm. But the old farmer has forgotten something very important: his daughter Mary! When both sons, Franz and Hans, fail to complete the challenge, Mary asks for her penny, and she succeeds, filling the house with “light and knowledge and music and joy.”

Landman’s retelling of the feminist fable uses a beautifully traditional folk-style voice, perfect for reading aloud. Holland’s illustrations, made in mostly cut-paper mixed media, are whimsical and child-like. The two brothers, one beefy and one brawny, are portrayed almost as caricatures, and Holland’s manipulation of scale keeps the reader just enough off-balance so as to evoke whimsy, as if the characters are floating through their own landscape.

Mary’s Penny is a beautifully told text with a great message, perfect for school or family.

Marisa Behan

CLOUD TEA MONKEYS by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham

Peet, Mal and Elspeth Graham. Cloud Tea Monkeys. Illus. Juan Wijngaard. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2010. 978-0-7636-4453-6. $15.99 US/$20.00 CAN. Picturebooks, Ages 4-7

Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham, in collaboration with Juan Wijngaard, have created a masterpiece of story and art. Tashi, a little girl in a tiny village, accompanies her ailing mother to work on the tea plantation each day, but while the women pick tea, Tashi plays with the monkeys. Finally her mother’s illness keeps her from work, so Tashi tries to pick in her place, but she can’t reach the top of tea bushes! When she shares her woes with her friends the monkeys, they steal the giant basket and disappear into the mountains, returning with a full basket of tea. And this tea isn’t just any old tea – it’s CLOUD TEA – out of reach of ordinary men. Tashi’s rare success is rewarded with enough gold from the Royal Tea Taster to pay her mother’s doctor, to keep her mother out of the fields, and to feed the monkeys!

The prose, particularly the descriptive language, evokes the rhythm and pattern of a traditional fairy tale, as does the ambiguous setting. The illustrations are lush, with vibrant green foliage, deep blue night skies, luminous shadows filtering through the forest, and glowing faces of the characters.

Cloud Tea Monkeys is a beautiful book, a bedtime bookshelf treasure.

Marisa Behan

SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS by Ron Koertge

Koertge, Ron. Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs. Candlewick Press, 2012. ISBN-13: 9780763658526. $5.99.

Special Feature: Review by an elementary school student.


Ron Koertge writes the wonderful novel Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs with such style, personality, and humor that it is almost impossible to put this lovely realistic fiction down. When I look for a book, it must be unique, and this title really caught my eye. You may think it is all about sports, but as you read on, you realize there is much more to this story.

Kevin is a talented and funny 14 year old. He has pretty cool and supportive friends whom he plays baseball with, but he has a talent that they don't have. You see, Kevin's a real wiz at writing poetry, which earns him the nickname Shakespeare. When his Father gives him a red notebook called "Shakespeare's Secret Diary," he begins a new collection of poems with topics such as playoff practice or Ms. Baldwin, the creepy geography teacher.

A lot of people think that you can only either be a jock or a nerd, that you have to focus on sports or creativity; this book shows that you can be all of the above. You don't have to limit yourself. I believe many people would enjoy this fantastic book.

Review by MaeLin Janus, 5th grade

THE BEST CAT by Valeri Gorbachev

Gorbachev, Valeri. The Best Cat. Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7636-3675-3. $15.99.

An ostensible story about the beloved family cat, Bootsy, the text is actually an altercation between brother and sister, performed in front of Grandma, Dad, Mom and Grandpa, using Bootsy a centerpiece. In what must be, in a family of confident children, a sometimes trying sibling rivalry, brother Jeff imagines Bootsy the cat to be the best of many things (clown, ballerina, fisherman), while sister Ginny counters with reasons why Jeff is wrong.

Jeff never loses his Peter Pan-like charismatic conceit, projected onto beloved Bootsy. Ginny enjoys playing the killjoy to Jeff’s “Lookit me” enthusiasm for Bootsy, by assuming the “Not so” attitude of a better-informed realist. However, despite her superior putdowns, Ginny is as imaginative as Jeff: the reason Bootsy can’t be the world’s best ballerina, for example, is not because she can’t dance ballet, but because she wouldn’t like wearing a tutu. Betsy never argues that Bootsy isn’t anthropomorphically capable of being the best at anything. Humor saves these two siblings from being truly irritating children, as their fantasy, rooted in love for their cat, takes on charm—especially in Gorbachev’s subtly drawn facial expressions.

Harmony is achieved on the last page when both agree that “Bootsy is the best cat in the world.”

Alexandra Boyer

THE GHOSTS OF KERFOL by Deborah Noyes

Noyes, Deborah. The Ghosts of Kerfol. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4825-1. $7.99 US/$11.00 CAN. Ages 14+

Deborah Noyes riffs off Edith Wharton’s gothic ghost story, Kerfol, to create this compilation of short stories. The original “backstory,” that is, Edith Wharton’s original ghost tale, is told from the point of view of a young servant girl, observing the terrifying episode of madness, wrath, and haunting that make up Kerfol. From the death of Yves de Cornault, the dogs (and human characters) have been returning yearly to haunt the castle. In the short stories that follow, Noyes weaves together new hauntings in various time periods, up to the present day. The stories hold together nicely: just when you begin to miss a character, he or she shows up as a ghost! The final story, I think, puts a brilliant twist on the sequence – the haunted visitor to Kerfol is deaf and he, unlike the other haunted visitors, interacts most intimately with the Kerfol spirits. His sensory separation from the world allows him to be ghost, but not ghost simultaneously.

Noyes’ novel is well timed, with a resurgence of interest in the Gothic. But unlike many other gothic interpretations of today, there are no vampires or implausible love relationships, just a good story, enough of the uncanny to disturb, and interesting, complex characters. The Ghosts of Kerfol is a welcome addition to the modern gothic young adult novels on the shelves today!

Marisa Behan

THE TIGER RISING by Kate DiCamillo

DiCamillo, Kate. The Tiger Rising. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0-7636-5270-8. $15.99.

Rob has a suitcase full of “non-thoughts:” the things in his life that he can’t change and therefore won’t do him any good to dwell on.  In this suitcase he keeps problems such as his incurable leg rash, his teasing at school, the recent death of his mother, and the poverty of his father. Also in the suitcase, he keeps “not-wishes,” such as his desire for a friend.

Everything changes when he finds a caged tiger in the woods behind his motel and a new girl, Sistine, moves to town. Armed with renewed purpose and a friend, Rob learns how to un-cage his painful memories, freeing himself to let some good stuff in!

DiCamillo, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, lives up to her previous successes with The Tiger Rising. Emotionally gripping, poignant, and touching, with relatable characters and a catchy story, The Tiger Rising pulls at your heartstrings in a positive, cathartic way.

Marisa Behan

INTERRUPTING CHICKEN by David Ezra Stein

Stein, David Ezra. Interrupting Chicken. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4168-9. $16.99.

Stein’s Interrupting Chicken is an adorable tale of a father rooster trying to help his daughter, a little red chicken, go to sleep with her favorite bedtime stories. The problem is, every time he starts a story his daughter gets so excited that she interrupts and blurts out the climax, which defeats both his goal of helping her relax and of finishing her bedtime story.

By using a variety of contrasting media to illustrate (including water color, crayon, china marker, pen, ink, and tea), Stein skillfully juxtaposes the story of two chickens with the bedtime stories being told (and interrupted) within their story. Kids and adults alike will delight in the way the little red chicken bursts right into the pages of familiar children’s stories to shout out the ending as the characters in the original story gasp in dismay.

These amusing interruptions continue even at the end, as the tables are turned on the little red chicken. After interrupting all her father’s bedtime stories, the little chicken writes and illustrates her own story for her exhausted dad. He surprises her just after she starts telling the story with his own inadvertent interruption…snores.

This fun, endearing book is sure to be a read-aloud favorite, at bedtime or at anytime. Highly recommended

Emily Moore

INTO THE UNKNOWN by Stewart Ross

Ross, Stewart. Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air. Illus. by Stephen Biesty. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4948-7. $19.99. Ages 8-12.

In my education classes, I was taught that boys need hands-on learning. I was also taught that they tend to choose non-fiction over fiction. Into the Unknown meets both needs. The text is well written, with a good mix of history, science, and storytelling. The pages have detailed diagrams, maps, and pictures, which focus on things like ship construction, supply loading, and route mapping. The pop-outs make the narrative a 3D experience.

The sequence includes not only commonly known explorers like Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Marco Polo, but also lesser known adventurers like Mary Kingsley, who explored the West Coast of Africa solo, Edmund Hillary, who first peaked Mount Everest, and Umberto Nobile, who flew over the North Pole. Ross begins his chronicling with Pytheas, a classical Greek explorer who navigated the Arctic waters as early as 340bc, and finishes with Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

The book’s dust jacket unfolds to reveal a giant world map poster, perfect for hanging in a bedroom and imagining one’s own adventures. The map, which shows all the continents, lists the explorers, and draws out their routes, is a bit plain, but a fun surprise nonetheless. The book also contains a glossary of exploration and navigation jargon, and an index.

Marisa Behan

Review: GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU ALL YEAR ROUND by Sam McBratney

McBratney, Sam. Guess How Much I Love You All Year Round. Illus. Anita Jeram. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN: 0-7636-4654-7. $16.99. Ages 3 and up.

The beloved Nutbrown Hares strike again! In this beautiful addition to the Guess How Much I Love You collection, McBratney and Jeram create four stories, one for each season. In the spring, Big Nutbrown Hare teaches Little Nutbrown Hare about growing up; in summer, they find and identify colors; in autumn, they play pretend; and in winter, they learn about nature.

All four stories deliver the high quality of text and illustrations readers expect from a Guess How Much I Love You book. I remember the original classic from childhood; this one does it justice while adding an educational dimension.

Marisa Behan

Review: TAKE ME WITH YOU by Carolyn Marsden

Marsden, Carolyn. Take Me With You. York, MA: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3739-2. $14.99 US/$19.00 CAN

San Diego author Carolyn Marsden has created a touching story of two young girls, Susanna and Pina, growing up in a convent orphanage in post-WWII Italy. Susanna is mixed race, the child of an Italian woman and an African-American soldier. Pina, a beautiful blond, does not know anything about her mother. The girls struggle with issues of self-identity, self-worth, and belonging. As opportunities to leave the orphanage and connections with their “real families” manifest, the girls navigate the tension between their desire to remain together and their desire to belong to a family.

The story is elegantly told, and the reader enjoys getting to know the girls. Young girls, particularly those from broken homes, may identify well with the characters and their struggles.

Marisa Behan

Review: THE AGENCY: A SPY IN THE HOUSE by Y.S. Lee

Lee, Y.S.  The Agency: A Spy in the House. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 987-0-7636-4067-5. 335 pages.  $16.99. Young Adult. 

The Agency: A Spy in the House is the first novel in Y.S. Lee’s Mary Quinn Mystery series for young adults. Set in Victorian London, the story introduces us to seventeen year-old Mary Quinn, the orphaned daughter of a Chinese sailor and an Irish seamstress.  It follows Mary on her first assignment for the Agency, a “collective” of secret agents working out of Miss Skrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. 

As the story opens, a twelve year-old Mary finds herself before a magistrate, convicted of theft and sentenced to death. Rescued from the gallows, she accepts a position at Miss Skrimshaw’ Academy. Though Mary learns how to navigate London’s polite society, but restless nature desires more. When she admits this to her instructors Miss Treleaven and Mrs. Frame, they proudly offer Mary a position with the Agency. Of course, she accepts, and after an expedited training period, is placed in the Thorold residence. Posing as a hired companion to the family’s haughty daughter, Mary gathers information about possible nefarious dealings in Mr. Thorold’s shipping business. 

This assignment takes a turn as she is almost caught searching Mr. Thorold’s home office. When she ducks into a closet, she discovers that she isn’t the only one investigating Mr. Thorold! Mary eventually teams up with the handsome young stranger from the closet, James Easton. The two follow a trail that leads them to a refuge for Chinese sailors. While searching the refuge, Mary is discovered by a caretaker who recognizes her, remembers her father, and provides her the opportunity to learn about her father-- and herself. As the plot thickens, Mary and James find themselves rushing to solve a mystery fueled by greed, piracy, and murder.  

Lee, a Ph.D. in Victorian literature and culture, has modernized the period detective novel by raising  issues of diversity, gender roles, and classism. Writing in third person, Lee alternates between Mary’s and James’ perspectives. This is Mary’s story though, so James’ voice sometimes seems an afterthought. The story includes some romantic tension, but not so much that it overshadows the rest of the plot. Overall A Spy in the House is an enjoyable read.

Heather Tylock