About a month ago, Seattle librarian and book maven, Nancy Pearl, had a brief spot on NPT talking about her “most memorable characters” of 2011. She had high praise for Max “the Wolf,” Willingham’s main character in Down the Mysterly River. I beg to differ.
Oh, Max was alright, but I found him a bit of a whiner and maybe too much of a “Boy Scout.” Actually he was a Boy Scout and proud of it. Don’t get me wrong, I have a long and happy history with both the Cub and Boy Scouts, but, really, I’ve never met a 6th grade boy as upstanding as Max. For me, he just didn’t ring true.
I did however, really enjoy the book. It’s a great adventure, full of tension, excitement, mystery humore and surprises. It has heart, especially because of the three secondary characters. One of the biggest surprises for me was how involved I became with Banderbrock the warrior badger, McTavish the cantankerous barn cat and especially the amiable, slow-witted but fiercely loyal “sheriff” bear, Walden.
After a somewhat slow and confusing beginning, I found myself keenly interested in solving the mystery of exactly where—and why—the friends found themselves. What had they done to deserve the wrath of the malicious “Blue Cutters” who hounded them so relentlessly, and would they ever see their homes again? Thanks to Willingham’s forte as a storyteller, all becomes clear. There seems to actually be a possibility for a sequel. I’d be interested to see—and read–that.
Posted by: Eileen
Maks is a “newsie” in New York City in 1893. He is selling The World. His parents are Danish immigrants and his family is struggling to make ends meet. Every penny counts. One day Maks is cornered in an alley by a gang of teenagers who are trying to drive off the newsies. Maks decides to fight but is losing when suddenly a shapeless pile of rags becomes an attack force with a stick. When the attack is over, the gang members have been run off and Maks realizes that the person who saved him is a skinny, smelly, raggedly dressed, homeless girl. He decides to take her home for the protection she can give him and also to repay her with a meal. The same day he brings Willa home, he finds out that his oldest sister who works as a maid at the Waldorf has been accused of theft and is in the prison called the Tombs. Thus begins an adventure for the homeless girl and the newsie. They find an odd and ailing detective who has Maks do his investigating for him at the Waldorf. In the process, Maks discovers some clues and also learns something about Willa’s family.
One of my son’s new favorite books is Tip Tip Dig Dig by Garcia. Each page of this story features a truck in action working away on a mess. Little ones can see the digger dig and the roller roll. What can they do when they all work together? They can make a playground! And while it may be too cold to play at the playground right now, it sure is fun to watch one being made. The big, bold illustrations and simple text make this a great toddler read aloud. Little ones can even join in with the actions.
A late 2011 release, I think Pie by Sarah Weeks may have squeaked in as my favorite book of 2011. Generally being a fan of both action and angst in my reading choices, I often lose interest in books with recipes, books that have exceedingly happy endings or books that feature unbelievably nice characters, but somehow this book contained all of those elements and managed to keep me enthralled. 
Just in the nick of time comes a new mystery series that is lots of fun for young readers. The main characters are a boy named Milo and a girl named Jazz, and they are friends that like to solve mysteries together. Not a new concept, but it’s fun to have a new series to recommend. This book includes all the things that make up a good mystery – clues, ever changing suspects, a surprise ending … but also is set at summer camp, including a food fight, a stolen mascot, camp “color war” games, and lots more. What more could you ask for in a mystery? When the blue team’s moose mascot goes missing, it is up to Milo to figure out who took it and why… and to get it back. The likely suspect, Tony from the red team, seems to have an alibi, but there are some things that Milo doesn’t know yet about Tony – that’s where his partner Jazz, who happens to be at the girls camp across the way, comes in. In the end, the two of them put all the pieces together to solve the mystery. Kids will really like these easy to solve mysteries and will really enjoy “Super Sleuthing Strategies” at the end of the book. This series is one that I will be recommending for those early mystery readers.
Though adored by kids and parents alike, somehow Emily Jenkins’ series of books about the secret lives of some very special toys never quite made it into my reading basket until this year, with the release of Toys Come Home, the prequel to Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party.
Amanda, a sweet little girl, and Alligator, a sweet little stuffed animal, are best friends. Alligator always has a hard time waiting for Amanda when she is not home. These friends like to share surprises with each other such as books and tickles and a great big “boo”. One day Alligator discovers he has a price tag with a cost of only 7 cents and he is disappointed to know he was in the sale bin because no one seemed to want him. Amanda quickly reassures him, “No one wanted to buy you because they knew you were meant to be my best friend.”
For a certain type of child, there is nothing better than anything tiny. Tiny books, tiny toys, tiny leaves and flowers. These are the children that tend to have elaborately tended dollhouses–no matter how patchily put together–and shelves full of miniature ‘found’ objects.
Most children like to yell, and this book encourages children to shout along if they know the answer. The book covers a variety of concepts including counting, the alphabet, colors, animals, and vehicles. The illustrations are bursting with energy, and children will enjoy seeing what the mouse is doing on each page. And of course, shouting along with each page.
