Julie Hale

Children's & YAPicture Book

School zone: Picture books for back to school

Feature by Julie Hale

Dust off the backpacks, and break out the notebooks—school is starting! These inspiring stories of student life will help youngsters find their back-to-class groove.

Everybody’s favorite bird returns in The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems. This time around, Pigeon is contending with the impending first day of school—an unwelcome prospect. As someone who already knows everything (“Go on—ask me a question,” he urges. “Any question!”), Pigeon feels he should be exempt from attending. Moreover, school commences in the a.m., and he is NOT a morning bird. Soon he’s panicking over a series of unknowns: What if the teacher dislikes pigeons or the finger paint sticks to his feathers? What will his classmates make of him? After taking stock of his fears, the contrary bird realizes that school is the right place to be. The book’s clever endsheets show him in class with a group of avian pupils. Willems’ wit shines through in his trademark line drawings, which are minimal yet fully expressive and backed by a palette of soft colors. As ever, Pigeon has attitude, smarts and plenty of style, and they’re on full display in this grade-A tale. 

The start of school is an event of regal import in The King of Kindergarten, written by Newbery Honor winner Derrick Barnes. In this delightful story, an African American boy—encouraged by supportive parents—is ready to rule at school. When the big day arrives, he washes his face “with a cloth bearing the family crest,” puts on “handpicked garments from the far-off villages of Osh and Kosh,” downs a pancake breakfast and gets on the bus—“a big yellow carriage.” As he approaches the school’s imposing entrance, he remembers his mother’s advice to hold his head high. In class, new friends and a beaming teacher greet him. Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s irresistible depictions of kindergarten life—group storytime, followed by big fun on the playground—have color, texture and a wonderful collagelike quality. With an emphasis firmly on the positive, Barnes’ story is a fun reminder to readers that they have what it takes to succeed. It’s sure to become a back-to-school classic.

Clothesline Clues to the First Day of School, co-written by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook, is the newest entry in their nifty Clothesline Clues series. Items hanging on a clothesline provide hints about the people that readers might encounter at school. The story’s text takes the form of snappy stanzas: “Book bag and new shirt, / a class roster to review. / Bow tie and jacket. / Who wants to meet you?” Based on the clothesline clues, the answer to this riddle is a teacher—a smiling figure shown in a colorful classroom. The story moves forward in this manner, depicting a wide variety of school personnel, from a crossing guard to a cafeteria cook to a custodian. It concludes on a high note with a diverse group of students at play. Andy Robert Davies’ vibrant, upbeat illustrations make this a title that parents and kids will appreciate as summer comes to an end. As this skill-building book shows, it takes a village to ensure that a school runs smoothly.

In Christina Geist’s Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School!, Buddy and his sister, Lady, are having breakfast as usual when their routine takes a decided detour: Mom and Dad announce that they’re planning to come with them to school. Yikes! Their mom sports a fresh backpack, and their pop shows off his new high tops. Even the grandparents are ready to go. But the kids soon burst their bubble: “Sorry, grown-ups! You can’t go to school!” The adults are disappointed, because they’ll miss out on the day’s neat activities—spelling games, science experiments, recess. The story’s upshot: “only kids and teachers” are lucky enough to experience life in the classroom. Tim Bowers’ depictions of the parents dressed and ready for school are downright hilarious, and he brings Buddy and Lady’s mixed-up morning to vivid life. A great intro to what makes school cool, this exuberant story is sure to get kids excited about the year to come.

There’ll be chills, thrills and lots of laughs when little readers get a load of Even Monsters Go to School. Written by Lisa Wheeler, this madcap tale focuses on a four-fingered boy-monster with blue fur and golden horns who is definitely not in a school-going mood. During breakfast (a ghoulish-looking goulash in which an eyeball floats), his equally blue, equally furry father provides encouragement by telling him about fearsome fellow creatures who face a similar fate: green-faced Frankenstein, tiny Troll, mighty Bigfoot, scaly Dragon. All of them, his father says, go to school. For each creature, Wheeler has dreamed up a hilarious school-based scenario, which she recounts through ingenious rhymes: “When Bigfoot wakes, he combs his hair . . . and steps out in the morning air. Yellow bus is waiting there. Even Bigfoot goes to school.” Chris Van Dusen’s bright, vibrant illustrations feature likable monsters. This appealing tale will help transform reluctant school-goers into eager students.

Celebrate the classroom experience!
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Book Clubs: August 2019

Feature by Julie Hale

★The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
A 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers is a poignant novel of the AIDS epidemic that follows a Chicago-based group of friends who are contending with the rise of the disease in the 1980s. Yale Tishman is planning a major art show, but his success is overshadowed by the deaths that are sweeping through the gay community. As he weathers the loss of colleagues and companions, his closest confidante is Fiona, the sister of his late friend Nico. Thirty years later, Fiona is searching for her daughter, Claire, in Paris. Her relationship with Claire is a fraught one, and Fiona struggles to make sense of it while continuing to process the heartbreak of the epidemic. Makkai skillfully connects the plotlines of the past and present, exploring the fears and misconceptions connected to the epidemic and demonstrating their impact on her characters. Filled with larger-than-life personalities, Makkai’s wise and compassionate novel bears witness to an important era.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Ayoola has a habit of dispatching her boyfriends, and she relies on her sister, Korede, to help her tidy up after each murder. Braithwaite’s multilayered, darkly funny novel explores the power of desire and female agency.

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
Tokarczuk, one of Poland’s most beloved writers, tackles identity, travel and the nature of home in these breathtaking short essays and stories.

Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy by Anne Boyd Rioux
Rioux provides insights into the life of Louisa May Alcott and the writing of Little Women, examining the novel’s enduring appeal and its contemporary significance.

The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher
Schumacher’s satirical take on academia—its complexities and insular nature—feels spot on, and she offers an appealing protagonist in Jason Fitger, a long-suffering English professor.

★The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai A 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers is a poignant novel of the AIDS epidemic that follows a Chicago-based group of friends who are contending with the rise of the disease in the 1980s. Yale Tishman is planning a major art show, but his success is […]
Fiction

Fall for short fiction

Feature by Julie Hale

Three of the season’s most anticipated collections are brief, powerful and to the point.

R.L. Maizes chronicles the comedy and absurdity of the human condition in her wry, whimsical debut, We Love Anderson Cooper. In the beautifully executed title story, Markus, a seventh-grader grappling with his homosexuality, causes a stir by coming out at his bar mitzvah. (“Why didn’t you talk to us first? We would have understood,” his mother says. “We love Anderson Cooper.”) Markus is one of several characters whose emotions bring unexpected consequences or shifts in perspective, such as in “Couch,” in which therapist Penelope’s new office sofa has the power to impart optimism. Crafted without excess or stylistic extremity, Maizes’ stories have a refreshing forthrightness.

Edwidge Danticat’s Everything Inside, her first volume of short stories since the acclaimed Krik? Krack! (1995), mines the emotional and psychological landscapes of Haitian immigrants through rich narratives that explore the nature of family, identity and home. Many of Danticat’s protagonists are women living with loss or trying to make reality tally up with their expectations. In “Sunrise, Sunset,” a Haitian woman living in Miami is inured to the vagaries of life—“the whims of everything from tyrants to hurricanes and earthquakes.” As she slowly succumbs to dementia, she tries to help her daughter adjust to motherhood. In “The Gift,” a woman meets up with a former lover who lost his family in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. “The Port-au-Prince Marriage Special” tells the story of a young nanny with AIDS and the family that employs her. Powerful and poignant, heartbreaking and hopeful, these are narratives about people struggling to connect—across continents, across generations.

Rion Amilcar Scott’s electrifying The World Doesn’t Require You takes place in the fictional town of Cross River, Maryland, which provided the backdrop for his debut, Insurrections (2016). Settled by the inciters of a slave rebellion, it’s a town shaped by the forces of history and religion. In “David Sherman, the Last Son of God,” God is a Cross River native with 13 children and whose youngest, David, tries to make a place for himself in the community by heading up a gospel band. In “The Electric Joy of Service,” robot slaves are manufactured to serve wealthy masters. Scott mixes tones and moods, moving from solemn and portentous to comic and ironic with unfailing assurance. My advice: Dispense with expectations, surrender to Scott’s singular genius, and enjoy the journey.  

Three of the season’s most anticipated collections are brief, powerful and to the point. R.L. Maizes chronicles the comedy and absurdity of the human condition in her wry, whimsical debut, We Love Anderson Cooper. In the beautifully executed title story, Markus, a seventh-grader grappling with his homosexuality, causes a stir by coming out at his […]
Children's & YAPicture Book

The goodness of grandparents

Feature by Julie Hale

With memories to share, knowledge to pass along and the power to positively impact younger generations, grandparents are grand indeed! These books honor our cherished elder family members. 

Alison Jay’s heartfelt Looking for Yesterday pays tribute to the guidance only grandparents can provide. The boy at the center of the story longs for yesterday—a day so fabulous, he wants a repeat. But how can he go back and reexperience it? Via time machine? Supersonic rocket? Maybe a wormhole? 

The boy considers these time-travel options and turns to Granddad for help. “Yesterday was a wonderful day,” Granddad tells him, “but there are many more happy days to come.” Granddad then provides evidence, sharing anecdotes from his own life while flipping through a photo album with the boy. As it turns out, Granddad has done some remarkable things, like flying in a hot air balloon and climbing a snowy mountain. “Every day brings the chance of a new adventure,” he says.

Jay’s winsome paintings have a timeless, classic quality. Readers will fall for magical scenes of the boy soaring with his dog in a rocket and sliding down a wormhole. Emphasizing the importance of focusing on the here and now, this is a title to be treasured.

Samantha Berger’s exuberant I Love My Glam-Ma! features a diverse lineup of glamorous grandmothers who are aging more than gracefully—they’re infusing the experience with youthful enthusiasm and full-on flair. These abuelas, omas and nanas possess an energy that’s infectious (“Glam-mas don’t just come over. . . . They make a grand entrance!”) and always have treats for the grandkids (“Glam-mas don’t just carry a purse. . . . They carry a treasure chest!”). Fashionable and feisty, the ladies are equally at ease rocking out at a concert, cooking in the kitchen or building a sandcastle on the beach.

Artist Sujean Rim dresses the glam-mas to the nines in chic, patterned outfits accessorized with funky hats and glasses. Her watercolor-and-collage illustrations are a perfect match for this stylish story. While saluting women who are aging with attitude, the book also emphasizes the special bond that exists between grandmothers and grandchildren, and it ends on a tender note of love.

Wendy Meddour sensitively explores coping with grief in Grandpa’s Top Threes. Henry, an inquisitive little boy, is puzzled by Grandpa’s silence. Henry tries to get him to play trains, but Grandpa remains taciturn and tends to the garden. “Grandpa’s ears aren’t working,” Henry tells his mom. “Just give him time,” she says. Clearly, something is amiss. Henry finally draws Grandpa out by quizzing him about his favorites—his top three sandwiches, top three jellyfish and top three animals at the zoo. As the game progresses and Grandpa plays along, the reader comes to realize that his silence has been caused by the loss of someone special. 

Daniel Egnéus’ richly detailed watercolor illustrations provide a delightful backdrop for this moving tale. Henry’s love for his grandpa shines through, and his story demonstrates the power that family members possess—regardless of age or experience—to lift each other up. Providing a fresh approach to the topic of loss, this big-hearted book shows how love works across generations to unite young and old.

In Elina Ellis’ bubbly The Truth About Grandparents, the young lad who serves as narrator dispels the misconceptions that he’s heard about grandparents—they’re “slow and clumsy” and “scared of new things”—by using his own grandma and grandpa as examples. As the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that while his grandparents are getting on in years, they’re nowhere close to slowing down and still love to have fun. In fact, there’s no stopping these two!

Ellis depicts the couple as a spry pair who complement one another (Grandma’s curvy; Grandpa’s lean and gangly) and appreciate love and affection as much as ever. They’re still eager to experience life, whether it’s taking a yoga class or going on a roller-coaster ride. Both have a sense of curiosity and are up for an adventure with their grandson, even if it’s just dancing in the living room.

Ellis’ drawings combine lively lines with vivid washes of color. Her book is a great way to introduce the topic of aging to youngsters and help them better understand—and appreciate—their elders.

With memories to share, knowledge to pass along and the power to positively impact younger generations, grandparents are grand indeed! These books honor our cherished elder family members.  Alison Jay’s heartfelt Looking for Yesterday pays tribute to the guidance only grandparents can provide. The boy at the center of the story longs for yesterday—a day so […]
NonfictionFictionParentingMemoir

Book Clubs: September 2019

Feature by Julie Hale

★The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
Lydia Kiesling explores themes of immigration and family in her debut novel, The Golden State. Daphne, whose Turkish husband has been denied entry into the United States, is raising her infant daughter, Honey, alone in San Francisco. Cracking under the pressure of single parenthood and looking to escape her stress-filled life, she decamps with Honey for the California desert. Once there, Daphne drinks more than she should and meets her neighbors—Cindy, who’s a secessionist, and elderly Alice. But then her connections with the pair take a threatening turn. Told over the course of 10 days, this is an unflinching portrait of motherhood and its many challenges. Kiesling is a perceptive, compassionate writer, and she brings a remote part of California to vivid life in this accomplished debut.

Small Animals by Kim Brooks
When Brooks left her 4-year-old son in the car while running a quick errand, the police were alerted and she became embroiled in a protracted legal battle. Brooks recounts her experience in this fascinating mix of memoir and reportage on contemporary parenting.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
Suffering from memory loss after a car accident, Virgil tries to reconstruct his past in the tightknit community of Greenstone, Minnesota. Enger’s many fans will savor this bittersweet chronicle of Greenstone and the charming people who call it home.

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
This powerful memoir recounts Smarsh’s upbringing on a Kansas farm, reflecting on the past and probing the economic and social causes of poverty in America.

Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Vargas, who is Filipino, learned of his undocumented status at the age of 16, when he tried to get a driver’s license. With a reporter’s instinct for detail, he writes about the challenges of surviving as an outsider in America.

★The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling Lydia Kiesling explores themes of immigration and family in her debut novel, The Golden State. Daphne, whose Turkish husband has been denied entry into the United States, is raising her infant daughter, Honey, alone in San Francisco. Cracking under the pressure of single parenthood and looking to escape her stress-filled life, […]
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Book Clubs: October 2019

Feature by Julie Hale

★ All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
In her stirring memoir, All You Can Ever Know, Nicole Chung hopes to find the Korean birth parents who gave her up for adoption. Chung was raised by a white family in small-town Oregon, and in this beautifully crafted book she recounts her struggle to fit in as an Asian American. After graduating from college, she decides to investigate her past and possibly contact her biological parents. On the cusp of becoming a mother herself, she hears from her biological sister Cindy, who tells her the disturbing truth about their complex past. Already aware that she was a premature baby and that she has two sisters, Chung learns her birth parents claimed she had died. Chung touches on timeless themes of family and identity while crafting a fascinating narrative sure to spark lively book club discussions.

Gone So Long by Andre Dubus III
As he nears the end of his life, Daniel Ahearn hopes to be reunited with Susan, his daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since the long-ago night when—driven by jealousy—he murdered her mother. Dubus presents an electrifying portrait of a broken family in this unforgettable novel.

Everything’s Trash, but It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson
Bold, insightful and funny, Robinson’s terrific essays offer fresh perspectives on feminism, body image and the dating world. 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Ernt Allbright; his wife, Cora; and their 13-year-old daughter, Leni, are initially enamored of their new surroundings and resilient neighbors in rural Alaska. But when Ernt becomes increasingly violent, the Allbrights find themselves in danger of losing everything.

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
The fortunes of the intellectual Knox clan decline after work opportunities dry up. Rewind to the 1870s, and science teacher Thatcher Greenwood also experiences setbacks due to his progressive ideas. Kingsolver’s compassionate rendering of everyday people struggling to gain purchase in a changing world is sure to resonate with readers.

★ All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung In her stirring memoir, All You Can Ever Know, Nicole Chung hopes to find the Korean birth parents who gave her up for adoption. Chung was raised by a white family in small-town Oregon, and in this beautifully crafted book she recounts her struggle to fit in as an […]
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Finding freedom

Feature by Julie Hale

Everyday pleasures like spending time with family or watching a favorite TV show are things we often take for granted. Reminding readers to count their blessings, two new adventured-filled titles feature brave heroines who struggle to survive despite government oppression.

J. Kasper Kramer’s impressive debut novel, The Story That Cannot Be Told, begins, appropriately enough, with the words “Once upon a time . . . ” The tale opens in 1989 in Communist Romania. Ten-year-old Ileana lives in Bucharest with her parents. Their life is somewhat bleak—they have access to one TV channel for two hours each week (it broadcasts Communist Party sessions), and their apartment has been bugged by the authorities—yet they’re a loving and tight-knit trio.

Ileana has inherited a passion for writing from her father, a literature professor, and they share a unique bond. “He could hear what was inside a story’s heart—what made it beat or let it die—and he’d shared that gift with me,” she says. Ileana makes up her own narratives in her special book, which she calls “Great Tome”—an assemblage of construction paper and spiral-notebook sheets with a glitter-encrusted cover.

That book, her prized possession, becomes an outlet for escaping the grim reality that her uncle Andrei, a subversive poet recently arrested by the secret police, may be dead. When her parents realize that they, too, could be in danger, they send Ileana to live in a remote village with grandparents she doesn’t know. As her love for newfound family members and their little town develops, Ileana finds her courage tested in ways she never imagined.

Kramer mixes elements of fairy tale, folklore and factual history into an irresistible adventure. It’s a novel readers will love getting lost in, a moving tribute to the power of shared stories and the value of cultivating an independent spirit.

Similar themes can be found in R.J. Palacio’s White Bird, one of fall 2019’s most anticipated titles for young readers and an important act of storytelling. In this beautifully executed graphic novel, Palacio revisits Julian, whom many readers will recognize from the beloved bestseller Wonder, along with his French grandmother, Sara.

Julian, who is writing an essay about Sara for school, contacts her (via FaceTime), and she relates her extraordinary experiences as a young Jewish girl in World War II France. In a narrative enlivened by plot twists, betrayal and a cast of remarkable characters, Sara recalls how German troops came to her school to arrest her and the other Jewish students. After she hid from the soldiers, she was rescued by a boy named Julien, whose family allowed Sara to live in secret in their barn. Because of their compassion and generosity, Sara survived. Hers is an unforgettable account of wartime years lived in fear, but it also highlights the importance of kindness, which she describes as “a light in the darkness” and “the very essence of our humanity.”

Filled with striking thematic juxtapositions—between history and modernity, nature and civilization, freedom and oppression—White Bird succeeds, in part, because of the author’s marvelous artwork. Palacio renders human figures with straightforward clarity, placing them against backdrops that range from sharply detailed to subtly impressionistic, and her panels lend the narrative a what-happens-next urgency that keeps the reader invested.

Resurfacing in the present day, the story comes full circle in the end, as Julian makes a poignant promise to Sara. This ultimately affirming entry in Palacio’s Wonder chronicles is destined to become a classic of its kind.

Everyday pleasures like spending time with family or watching a favorite TV show are things we often take for granted. Reminding readers to count their blessings, two new adventured-filled titles feature brave heroines who struggle to survive despite government oppression. J. Kasper Kramer’s impressive debut novel, The Story That Cannot Be Told, begins, appropriately enough, with […]
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Book Clubs: November 2019

Feature by Julie Hale

★ The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean offers an homage to libraries while investigating a mystery in The Library Book. Orlean delivers a riveting account of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire, which burned for over seven hours, was extinguished with roughly 3 million gallons of water and damaged or destroyed approximately a million books. In recounting the aftermath of the disaster, Orlean chronicles the investigations that ensued and the eventual arrest of an arson suspect—a disturbed young actor named Harry Peak. Along the way, she tracks the history of the Los Angeles Public Library and interviews librarians about their duties and the challenges they face on the job. This intriguing title is also a touching meditation on the author’s lifelong love of libraries and the invaluable services they provide to society.

Queenie by Candace Carty-Williams
Queenie, a young woman of Jamaican British background, tries to forget her white ex-boyfriend as she reenters the complicated world of interracial dating in this smart, briskly paced novel that explores issues of gender and relationships.

Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken
Local eccentric Bertha Truitt opens a bowling alley in Salford, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s. The alley stays in her family for generations, becoming the foundation for a quirky, compelling narrative about inheritance, connection and tradition.

The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
After learning about photography from the artist Man Ray, model Lee Miller embarks on a career in Europe, pursuing art and love to their ultimate ends. Skillfully blending fact and fiction, Scharer makes an impressive debut with this bold historical novel. 

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
For dystopian fiction full of provocative questions but light on the violence often present in the genre, try Walker’s haunting portrait of a community torn apart by a mysterious, airborne sleeping sickness.

★ The Library Book by Susan Orlean Susan Orlean offers an homage to libraries while investigating a mystery in The Library Book. Orlean delivers a riveting account of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire, which burned for over seven hours, was extinguished with roughly 3 million gallons of water and damaged or destroyed approximately a […]
NonfictionLiterature

Gift books: For the friend who’s read more books than you

Feature by Julie Hale

Book lovers, bibliomaniacs, librarians at heart—call them what you will, some readers take the contents of their shelves very seriously. We’ve rounded up a quartet of titles for the literature lovers on your gift list.

The Penguin Classics Book by Henry Eliot
The Penguin Classics Book, edited by Henry Eliot, will send bibliophiles over the moon. Spotlighting 1,200 works and covering four centuries, this handsome volume provides an overview of the Penguin Classics imprint, which released its first title—a new translation of The Odyssey by E.V. Rieu—in 1946. Filled with archival gems including images of vintage covers and rare editions, all beautifully reproduced and ripe for perusal, the book gives readers a sense of the imprint’s enormous output. Eliot, a Penguin Classics editor, describes the volume as “a reader’s companion to the best books ever written.” Indeed, the diverse featured titles are drawn from every conceivable genre: poetry, drama, philosophy, fiction, history and more. The book stands as a tribute to Penguin Classics’ endeavor to publish accessible, affordable editions of essential literary works from around the world. Author biographies, précis of major literary movements and background on the development of Penguin Classics as a publishing entity make this tome a necessary addition to the library of every book lover.

Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill
Classics also serve as the foundation for Great Goddesses: Life Lessons From Myths and Monsters, a new collection of poems and prose by British Indian author Nikita Gill. Mining ancient Greek stories for feminist inspiration, Gill offers fresh interpretations of archetypal tales that feature formidable women—Artemis, Hera, Hestia, Penelope, the list goes on—each with an indomitable spirit and distinctive destiny. In “Athena Rises,” the goddess is at once coolly self-possessed and irrationally passionate, a figure whose “heart wears wisdom skin / and wit-warmed splendor, / the echoes of a war cry holding / its four chambers together.” In “Gorgon (A Letter to the Patriarchy),” Gill reenvisions the snake-haired Medusa: “Perhaps the truth about Gorgons / is they are just women, / women who do not bend to the world or fit into the narrow mould you want them to.” Throughout, Gill includes “Mortal Interludes”—lyrical passages of personal reflection that demonstrate the messages she gleans from the myths. With hand-drawn illustrations that match the magnificence of their subject matter, Great Goddesses is a provocative tribute to the power of female agency.

March Sisters by Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado & Jane Smiley
Any list of literature’s leading ladies would surely include the March sisters from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Part of the appeal of Alcott’s esteemed novel, which turns 150 this year, lies in her nuanced depictions of the siblings, who couldn’t be more dissimilar: Meg, mature and dutiful, is the eldest; headstrong Jo is a budding writer; delicate Beth has a kindhearted disposition; and Amy, the youngest, is a vivacious beauty. A fascinating new book pays tribute to Alcott’s heroines. In March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women, authors Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado and Jane Smiley contribute essays on the little woman of their choice. In addition to reflecting on how the book impacted them, each contributor delves into the singular bond she feels to each sister, investigates Alcott’s inspirations and intentions and explores why the book remains relevant today. March Sisters is a must-have for steadfast fans and those new to Alcott’s novel.

Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers by the New York Public Library
Readers who live for trivia will find innumerable tidbits of interest in Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers. Comprised of queries posed to New York Public Library staffers, this weird, wonderful book draws on archives dating back to the 1940s. Some of the questions are sensible (“May a funeral be held on July 4th?”), some are true curiosity ticklers (“How many seeds are there in a watermelon?”), and some appear calculated to confound (“What is the life cycle of an eyebrow hair?”). Questions of this kind would stretch the skills and stamina of the most long-suffering researcher. Yet library staff stepped up and supplied crisp, succinct responses to all inquiries. New Yorker illustrator Barry Blitt captures the surreal, slightly mad mood of the proceedings in his clever cartoons. This pocket-size book has enormous appeal. 

Book lovers, bibliomaniacs, librarians at heart—call them what you will, some readers take the contents of their shelves very seriously. We’ve rounded up a quartet of titles for the literature lovers on your gift list. The Penguin Classics Book by Henry Eliot The Penguin Classics Book, edited by Henry Eliot, will send bibliophiles over the […]
NonfictionNature

Gift books: For the eternally, incurably curious

Feature by Julie Hale

They’ve got probing minds and roving intellects. They simply must unlock the secrets of every subject. And they’re going to love these books.

Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds by Ian Wright
Nowadays, maps do much more than keep us on the proper path. Researchers use cartographic methods to harness all sorts of information, and the results, as Ian Wright demonstrates with Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World, are intriguing. In this fascinating atlas, Wright—the mastermind behind the popular website Brilliant Maps—sheds light on the politics, economies, customs and cultures of countries across the globe. Wright uses colorful, easy-to-decode infographics to answer questions many of us might never think to ask (e.g., Where can the highest speed limits for driving be found? Which countries have no rivers?). He also analyzes in-the-news issues, presenting maps that depict the world’s open borders and the nations with the greatest immigrant populations. His book connects readers with an astonishing range of international data—no passport required.

The Amusement Park by Stephen M. Silverman
Readers are bound to get a rush from The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them by historian Stephen M. Silverman. Delivering a wonderfully detailed account of how the amusement park as we know it came to be, Silverman traces the roots of tourist hot spots like Ferrari World Abu Dubai—home of the fastest roller coaster on the planet—back to the medieval pleasure gardens of Europe. In this exhilarating compilation, Silverman spotlights noteworthy parks of the 19th and early 20th centuries and the innovative, often controversial thinkers behind their construction. He also considers contemporary attractions such as Disneyland, Cedar Point and Six Flags Great Adventure, and discusses today’s daringly designed roller coasters, including theme-park behemoths Steel Vengeance and Kingda Ka. Filled with photographs, illustrations and archival advertisements, this high-flying history will thrill adrenaline junkies and history buffs alike.

Airline Maps by Mark Ovenden & Maxwell Roberts
Anyone who’s curious about the early years of commercial flight—those distant days when tickets, terminals and take-offs inspired excitement (the good kind) in the hearts of travelers—will want to log some hours with Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design. Map historians Mark Ovenden (author of the bestselling Transit Maps of the World) and Maxwell Roberts organized this nifty volume, which explores the evolution of air travel through a fabulous selection of visuals, with an emphasis on maps and flight charts. Beginning in 1919, the book documents the growth of the industry, marking milestones like the rise of big-brand carriers and the debut of the jumbo jet, and shows how that growth was reflected in the creative work of cartographers and designers. From the art deco-influenced flight maps and stylish travel posters of the 1930s and ’40s to the heady ads of the ’60s and beyond, this volume is a fun, informative flashback.

Sun and Moon by Mark Holborn
Capturing a sense of the infinite unknown that enraptures dedicated stargazers, Mark Holborn’s Sun and Moon: A Story of Astronomy, Photography, and Mapping is an extensive—and stunning—visual history of space exploration. The volume begins with a look at the space observatories of prehistoric times and moves forward to chronicle the rise of telescopes and satellites that brought the vast reaches of the heavens closer to home. The book also examines the allure of the moon, which endures even 50 years after the Apollo 11 mission, and its particular appeal to astronomers and intellectuals. Holborn used materials from the collections of the Royal Observatory Greenwich and the Royal Astronomical Society in producing this majestic volume. Elegantly designed, with nearly 300 images, Sun and Moon is an altogether grand retrospective of humankind’s attempts to make sense of the mysteries of space.

Consider the Platypus by Maggie Ryan Sandford
For readers who take pleasure in pondering the enigmas of the natural world, Consider the Platypus: Evolution Through Biology’s Most Baffling Beasts is a can’t-miss gift. In this frequently funny, thoroughly accessible volume, science writer Maggie Ryan Sandford investigates the nature of genetic development through a study of 40-plus animals. Tracking the history of each creature, she reveals how its traits and behavior have adjusted over time for the purposes of survival. Along with the friendly and familiar (bottlenose dolphin, domestic dog), Sandford’s cross-section of specimens features examples of evolution’s odder offerings, like the hoatzin—a red-eyed, blue-faced tropical bird that, despite sizable wings, is a flying failure—and that great hodgepodge the platypus, to all appearances a cross between beaver, otter and duck. Rodica Prato’s masterful illustrations showcase the quirks and foibles of her singular subjects. If only biology class could have been this much fun.

They’ve got probing minds and roving intellects. They simply must unlock the secrets of every subject. And they’re going to love these books.

NonfictionFictionSpeculative FictionMystery

Book Clubs: December 2019

Feature by Julie Hale

★ The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye
Reading groups will enjoy untangling the threads of Lyndsay Faye’s historical whodunit The Paragon Hotel. In 1921, Alice James, who’s been mixed up with New York mobsters, comes to Portland, Oregon, bearing a bullet wound. Alice, who is white, takes shelter at the Paragon Hotel—a sort of safe house for the city’s African American population, which has been harassed by the Ku Klux Klan. When Davy Lee, a multiracial boy who’s a favorite at the hotel, disappears, Alice pretends to be a journalist researching his case. Along the way, she crosses paths with a wide cast of characters, including Blossom Fontaine, a nightclub singer with a questionable past; wealthy Evelina Vaughan, a white woman with stakes in the boy’s disappearance; and an assortment of belligerent cops and racist thugs. Faye’s smart, stylish and suspenseful tale tackles timeless topics of race and gender.

Black Is the Body by Emily Bernard
In her powerful collection of personal essays, Bernard reflects upon her experiences as a black woman in America, sharing poignant reminiscences of her Southern childhood and insights into her life in the place she now calls home—the predominately white state of Vermont.

North of Dawn by Nuruddin Farah
This piercing novel finds Somalian immigrant Mugdi living a quiet life in Oslo until his troubled son, Dhaqaneh, commits suicide. When Dhaqaneh’s strict Islamist widow and children come to live with Mugdi and his wife, the process of assimilation changes them forever.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
In this dystopian tale, Lia, Grace and Sky live apart from society on an island with their parents. They receive no outsiders except for women in need of a ritual that protects them against the world’s poisons. 

Last Stories by William Trevor
Last Stories is a stunning final collection from the beloved Irish author (1928–2016). Trevor’s unembellished prose stands in striking contrast to the weight and complexity of the ideas he explores, including mortality and the nature of love.

★ The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye Reading groups will enjoy untangling the threads of Lyndsay Faye’s historical whodunit The Paragon Hotel. In 1921, Alice James, who’s been mixed up with New York mobsters, comes to Portland, Oregon, bearing a bullet wound. Alice, who is white, takes shelter at the Paragon Hotel—a sort of safe house […]
NonfictionChildren's & YAPicture BookMiddle Grade

Gift books: For curious young minds

Feature by Julie Hale

Brimming with eye-opening information and hands-on activities, these innovative books will inspire young readers to think, create and collaborate. No screens or devices required!

Mythologica by Steve Kershaw, illustrated by Victoria Topping
Mythologica: An Encyclopedia of Gods, Monsters and Mortals From Ancient Greece is sure to ignite young imaginations. Classicist Steve Kershaw chronicles the exploits of gods, goddesses and the humans with whom they become entangled in this mesmerizing volume. Brief yet detailed encyclopedic entries explain the background and notable traits of Greek mythology’s players from Athena to Zeus. Kershaw’s snapshots of these fascinating figures communicate the drama and adventure that give the myths their perennial appeal, and artist Victoria Topping’s fantastical collages create a dazzling dreamscape that suits the gods’ larger-than-life deeds. Mythologica is an outstanding introduction to ancient stories and a volume to be treasured. 

Castles Magnified by David Long, illustrated by Harry Bloom
Tales of knights, lords and ladies rival those of the gods for spectacle and intrigue. Castles Magnified tells of storied figures such as Richard the Lionheart and explores the manners and mores of the Middle Ages through teeming illustrations of medieval life. Splendidly rendered by illustrator Harry Bloom, the bustling scenes invite close inspection; with the magnifying glass included in the book, readers can do just that. A cutaway effect in Bloom’s illustrations reveals castle interiors inhabited by servants, guards and nobles. A list of items for youngsters to spy and identify accompanies each scene. With ample historical background contributed by author David Long, Castles Magnified brings a long-ago era into focus.

Paper World by Bomboland
Another eye-opening pick that’s perfect for holiday giving is Paper World: Planet Earth by Bomboland, the Italian illustration studio of cut-paper artists Maurizio Santucci and Elisa Cerri. The book’s ingeniously engineered flaps, cutouts and illustrations teach readers about the diverse topographies and ecosystems that exist across the globe. Movable tabs reveal Earth’s hidden wonders: tectonic plates, deep-sea marine trenches, underground caves and more. 

Easy-to-follow descriptions complement the book’s impressive visuals, and the authors have included related sections on weather forecasting and storms, along with a helpful glossary. Their vibrant cut-paper replicas of soaring mountain ranges, snaking rivers, explosive volcanoes and mighty glaciers are designed to delight. This inventive geological journey will transform the way children view the great outdoors.

Make Your Own Optical Illusions by Clive Gifford
New ways of seeing also abound in Make Your Own Optical Illusions: 50 Hands-On Models and Experiments to Make and Do. In this beguiling book, author Clive Gifford investigates different types of optical illusions and equips his audience with need-to-know information on vision and perception. Through clear, accessible explanations of how our brains process color, motion and other stimuli, he sets the stage for an amazing magic show.

Nifty projects with clear instructions appear throughout the book. Paper punch-outs allow aspiring illusionists to create spinning tops, a 3D dog and other objects. With helpful illustrations and interactive elements contributed by artist Rob Ives, the book gives readers everything they need to explore new modes of perception. Get ready for some visual trickery!

United Tastes of America by Gabrielle Langholtz, illustrated by Jenny Bowers, photographs by DL Acken
The creativity continues—in the kitchen—with United Tastes of America: An Atlas of Food Facts and Recipes From Every State!. Food writer Gabrielle Langholtz serves up 54 dishes in this delectable book—one for each state, plus Washington, D.C., and the three U.S. territories—and her simple instructions cater to the kiddos. Featuring favorites like Wisconsin stovetop macaroni and cheese, along with out-of-the-ordinary menu items like Ohio buckeye candies, United Tastes delivers a mouthwatering overview of America’s culinary culture. Photographer DL Acken presents the completed dishes as works of art that are clean and simple. The atlas also offers a state-by-state survey of food-related trivia, with encyclopedic spreads beautifully illustrated by Jenny Bowers. Break out the aprons! Little cooks will love this terrific book.

The Interactive Constitution by David Miles, illustrated by Albert Pinilla
America’s heritage is also the focus of David Miles’ The Interactive Constitution. The sturdy pages in this bold, colorful book have flaps, tabs, windows and wheels—inviting elements that inform readers about political science, American history and the U.S. Constitution. The book’s welcoming text provides important information about the Founding Fathers, the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances, as well as deep dives into important facets of the Constitution, including its famous Preamble and the Bill of Rights. Albert Pinilla’s vivid artwork is filled with standout infographics and plenty of surprises, such as a lift-the-flap portrait gallery of presidents. This immersive title is certain to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.

Welcome to Jazz by Carolyn Sloan, illustrated by Jessica Gibson
There’s more hands-on fun to be found in Carolyn Sloan’s Welcome to Jazz, featuring three felines (yes, these cats are cool!) who drop in to a club to see a band. The musicians kick off their set with “When the Saints Go Marching In,” a song that Sloan uses to riff on the subject of jazz. Breaking down the tune’s components, Sloan covers significant instruments, including the saxophone, trumpet and trombone, and defines musical concepts such as improvisation. Readers can listen to “Saints” and sample musical sounds via the book’s press-and-play audio panel. Jessica Gibson’s energetic illustrations capture the spirit of the proceedings, making this a five-star performance from start to finish.

Brimming with eye-opening information and hands-on activities, these innovative books will inspire young readers to think, create and collaborate. No screens or devices required! Mythologica by Steve Kershaw, illustrated by Victoria Topping Mythologica: An Encyclopedia of Gods, Monsters and Mortals From Ancient Greece is sure to ignite young imaginations. Classicist Steve Kershaw chronicles the exploits of […]
NonfictionChildren's & YAWomen's HistoryPicture BookBiography

Gift books: For the young and the young at heart

Feature by Julie Hale

Three delightful new Disney-related titles have arrived in time for the gift-giving weeks that lie ahead, with options for adults and little readers alike. Disney devotees young and old are in for a treat this holiday season!

The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt
Art lovers, film-history buffs and those drawn to all things Disney will adore Nathalia Holt’s The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History. Holt, bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, offers an invaluable account of the studio’s overlooked female artists and writers—women who played key roles in the creation of classic films, enduring on-the-job discrimination and other obstacles along the way.

The book’s many unforgettable figures include Grace Huntington, the second woman to land a spot in Disney’s story department; Sylvia Moberly-Holland, whose ideas and artwork shaped the films Bambi and Fantasia; and Mary Blair, who created concept art for many a beloved movie and provided designs for the Disneyland ride “it’s a small world.” Holt also spotlights the work of current Disney women. Spanning nearly eight decades, her timely, well-crafted book gives an important group of artists their due.

Mary Blair’s Unique Flair by Amy Novesky
Mary Blair was indeed an animation queen, and she receives the royal treatment in Mary Blair’s Unique Flair: The Girl Who Became One of the Disney Legends. Author Amy Novesky delivers an accessible account of Blair’s life in this terrific children’s nonfiction book. An aspiring artist from the get-go, young Blair is captivated by color, but her parents lack the funds to pay for paint and other materials. Undeterred, she follows her dream, getting into art school and going on “to create colorful happily ever afters” at Walt Disney Studios, where she works on Cinderella and Peter Pan.

Mary’s story is brought to vivid life through Brittney Lee’s sensational cut-paper and gouache illustrations, which have the twinkling refinement of a Disney cartoon—small wonder, since Lee is an artist at (you guessed it!) Disney Animation Studios. This inspiring book is the perfect stocking stuffer for little illustrators-to-be.

They Drew as They Pleased Volume 5 by Didier Ghez
Animation fans and Disney aficionados alike will be wowed by They Drew as They Pleased Volume 5: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Early Renaissance: The 1970s and 1980s by Disney historian Didier Ghez. As the newest entry in Ghez’s series on the evolution of Disney, the book focuses on celebrated artists Ken Anderson and Mel Shaw, first-class draftsmen and storytellers at Disney who, after the death of Walt in 1966, breathed new life into the medium of animation at the studio.

In the 1970s and 80s, the two artists brought their creative talents to bear on cherished films such as Robin Hood and The Rescuers. They Drew as They Pleased abounds with their colorful concept drawings, character designs and sketches and includes fascinating facts about their working methods. From start to finish, the book is a Disney lover’s dream—and a stellar tribute to a pair of animation pioneers.

Three delightful new Disney-related titles have arrived in time for the gift-giving weeks that lie ahead, with options for adults and little readers alike.

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