Tandem Insights

Movie Review

As promised in our Book of the Week post from November 20, 2007 we’ve prepared a movie review for The Golden Compass which is still in theaters.

Our group left the theater happy and has had time to mull over how well the movie compared to the book.  Many had recently read / re-read all or some of the trilogy before seeing Philip Pullman’s fantastical parallel universe brought so beautifully to the big screen and overall were very satisfied.  As is so often is the case with books made into movies, there are deviations from the book.  This includes a happy ending where there wasn’t one, but overall New Line's production kept with the integrity of the classic novel’s plot and characters.  Even Mrs. Coulter’s character with her dark hair, eyes and personality, whose impression has stayed with so many readers young and old through the years, came through equally as wicked as Nicole Kidman’s fair-complexioned characterization in the movie.

We drew a stalemate concerning what age movie goers would appreciate the fantasy epic’s adaptation. We agreed the movie may not show as well to a person under the age of 10 and it could enchant viewers up into adulthood with its complex characters and a fascinating, and at times all too familiar, plot.  References to philosophy and literature are abundant which count as a draw for many, while perceived anti-Catholic and atheistic themes may have kept some away, hurting the chances for cinematic adaptations of Subtle Knife or Amber Spyglass. 

We hope, as did other younger movie goers in nearby seats, we’ll have the pleasure of seeing more of Lyra’s world on the silver screen and that Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials will continue to enchant an ever growing audience of readers.

Featured List: Sportswriters

Sports stories, real or imagined, often feature several of the qualities that make great narrative: teamwork, competition, heartbreak, reward, heroism, to name a few. Good sportswriters are particularly adept in the use of synonyms, action words, and metaphor. From daily papers, popular magazines, and the Internet, some sportswriters have branched out to offer action-packed and thought-provoking titles for younger readers. Check out these great books by authors who make a living writing sports commentary.

                            

Book of the Week: Ballerina Dreams

Lots of little girls have ballerina dreams. But what if you have a physical disability that makes it difficult to dance? One physical therapist decided to help these dreams come true, despite the obstacles. This is the true story of five little girls who realized their ballerina dreams.

The students in this special ballet class have cerebral palsy or some other muscle deficiency. A photo-essay format introduces each girl and helps the story come to life as they rehearse for their performance. Each girl has a helper to assist them with movements, but the dancers have learned the steps on their own and will complete them to the best of their abilities. Photos from backstage and of the performance itself, including the audience’s reaction, capture the spirit and determination of these girls, who prove that dreams really do come true.

View this book in the Tandem Library Books online bookstore.

‘Tis the Season!

If you’re looking for a few last minute Christmas ideas, or even some holiday stories to check out from your local library, here are some of our favorites!

Russell is back again in Rob Scotton’s third book, Russell’s Christmas Magic.  Santa  declares that “Christmas is cancelled” when his sleigh crashes in Firefly Wood.  Russell the Sheep comes to his aid equipped with a welder, hammer, and circular saw-labeled “ask parent before using this tool”!  Will Russell’s efforts be enough to save Christmas?

Told in a silly Christmas rhyme, A Christmas Stocking Story, by Hilary Knight, is a book that all will enjoy.  Stork, Hippo, Lion, Fish, Elephant, Snake, Fox and Bug’s stockings were mixed up while being washed on Christmas Eve.  Will the animals ever figure out how to get the right presents from Santa Claus?

A hockey outfit, makeup kit, and a chemistry set – are all great Christmas gifts according to Morris.  Unfortunately Morris is told that he cannot play with them because he is “too young.”  Unsatisfied with his new teddy bear, Morris finds an unwrapped present under the tree – a disappearing bag!  Find out about the mysterious disappearing bag in Rosemary Wells’ Christmas classic, Morris’s Disappearing Bag.

2008 Children’s Summer Reading Program: Catch the Reading Bug

Plan ahead for the summer!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) has selected “Catch the Reading Bug” for its 2008 children’s summer reading theme.  If you go to the CSLP website, you’ll quickly recognize that the watercolor artwork was fittingly illustrated by the well known Harry Bliss.  Bliss creatively illustrated the witty books Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, both written by Doreen Cronin.

Have you ever wondered what a fly does all day?  Find out in the newest book written and illustrated by the Cronin-Bliss team, Diary of a Fly.  Young readers will giggle and learn fascinating fly facts as they read about Fly and how she dreams of being a super hero.

Not buggy about fiction?  Try Nic Bishop’s Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close.  Bug enthusiasts will be  engrossed in this book filled with over 125 different critters.  You’ll think twice about stepping into your own backyard after seeing the amazing life-sized photos of bugs set in their natural habitat.

For more books about bugs, click here!

Book of the Week: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy

Fly Guy fans will not be disappointed when they read the newest book of the Fly Guy series, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy.  The early chapter book begins with Buzz and his pet, Fly Guy, on their way to visit Grandma—the old lady.  When Grandma sees Buzz arrive on his bike she runs to greet her grandson with open arms…and mouth.  Before Buzz gets a chance to introduce his amazing pet, Fly Guy is accidentally swallowed by Grandma in their embrace.  In the attempt to save Fly Guy, Grandma swallows a spider, a bird, a cat…and so on.  Being overwhelmed by all of the animals in Grandma’s stomach, Fly Guy shouts, “Buzz!”  After hearing Buzz call back to him, Fly Guy flies his way out of Grandma’s stomach followed by the spider, bird, cat, dog, goat, and cow.

Tedd Arnold’s take on this classic tale is humorous and delightful.  Early chapter readers will enjoy the expressive illustrations and clean text as they cheer on Fly Guy to safety.  In 2006, Hi! Fly Guy, the first  title of this series, received the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award for literary and artistic creativity in a beginning reader book.

Bill of Rights Day!

Freedom to speech.  Freedom to assemble.  Right to bear arms.  We know these freedoms from discussions in classrooms or in the media, but what do we really know about the Bill of Rights?

This December 15th take your students deeper into the freedoms we are granted with Russell Freedman’s In Defense of Liberty.  This Orbis Pictus Honor book breaks the Bill of Rights down chapter by chapter talking about the history, the controversy, and the ordinary citizens who have stood up for each amendment.  Compare this title to Milton Meltzer’s now of of print The Bill of Rights: How We Got it and What it Means to talk about how the Bill of Rights has changed even since 1990 as new issues arise, like electronic privacy and homeland security, which were barely on the radar in 1990 when Meltzer’s book was published.  Add in Kathleen Krull’s Kid’s Guide to America’s Bill of Rights for a look at how freedom affects even young people’s lives. 

Inspire your students with examples of those who have stood up for their freedom with Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott starts with Rosa Parks’ famous refusal to move to the back of the bus in 1955.  But you can go back even further in time with We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin to read about how this little-known civil rights activist staged his own bus protest some thirteen years before Rosa Parks.  Women, too, have changed the shape of freedom in this country, and Ann Bausum’s With Courage and Cloth explores the women’s suffrage movement from 1848 to the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

Get to know your rights and be inspired to change the shape of your world this Bill of Rights Day!

Multiple Narrators in Teen Fiction

Sometimes you just want both sides of the story.  Or all sides. 

One of the most popular novels from 2006 was a fast paced, two-sided look at one night.  Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist took two major talents in teen fiction and put them side-by-side in a novel that made high scores in both quality and popularity.  Cohn and Levithan are back together with 2007’s Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, which has even more perspectives on a story of two friends when friendship gets complicated.

Levithan is no stranger to alternating narrators.  In Are We There Yet? We get both points of view as two brothers, as different as can be, are tricked by their well-meaning parents into taking a vacation together. At first, they get on each other’s every last nerve. 17 year old Elijah’s serendipity clashes with 23 year old Danny’s organized business like manner. A girl comes between them and changes things, as girls always do. Levithan’s insightful prose makes it possible to experience Venice, Florence, and Rome along with Elijah and Danny, each in their own way.

Middle school readers might not be ready for Cohn and Levithan’s books, but they will not want to miss another great collaborative novel: Never Mind: A Twin Novel.  Rachel Vail and Avi put their talents together in this novel that alternates between two siblings. 

Don’t be limited to just one point of view.  Check out this list of great multi-voiced fiction for middle and high schoolers.

Book of the Week: Remembering Raquel

“It’s amazing how much dying can do for a girl’s popularity.”

Raquel Falcone was not the most popular girl in her high school.  She was quiet and overweight.  She had a few friends, but her death affects more than just the few who knew her well. 

Now there’s a collection going to get a memorial park bench in her name and a letter-writing campaign to lower the speed limit on the road where her fatal accident occurred.  Amidst the crusading of some of Raquel’s classmates though, there are questions.  No one is 100% sure what happened.  Did she fall in front of the car?  Was she pushed?  Or did she step in front of the car?

Despite a premise that seems heavy and full of tragedy, Remembering Raquel is actually a fairly light and fast read.  At only 160 pages, this slim book will appeal to readers who don’t want a huge time commitment.  And the alternating perspectives keep the book moving at a quick pace while keeping it interesting.

All the while, you’re left wondering how you might be remembered.

View this book in the Tandem Library Books Online Bookstore.

Unlikely Friends Round Up

There are some pretty amazing friendships out there.  We’ve managed to round up six tremendous examples of unlikely friendships that have left a lasting mark on readers this year.

Although Cowboy and Octopus have different opinions about beans and knock-knock jokes, their friendship grows in these seven humorous mini-stories.

Owen & Mzee bonded with one another despite some pretty unimaginable differences. Owen, a baby hippo was separated from his mother during the devastating 2004 tsunami, and Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise invited the inspiring, inseparable friendship.

After conquering the unknown beyond his nut tree in 2006, Scaredy Squirrel is ready to socialize in Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend.  Once he's spotted a perfectly safe candidate (with no teeth), will he be able to make the Perfect Friend?

                                           

The moment they saw each other, Ivy & Bean knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean pulls a trick that goes wrong, Ivy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people who never meant to like each other.

Graystripe and Millie are from two different worlds, but that doesn’t stop the feisty kittypet Millie and second-in-command of ThunderClan Graystripe from becoming the best of friends.  Lost Warrior is the first of a new graphic novel series based on the incredibly popular Warrior series.

Lincoln and Keckley star in An Unlikely Friendship, a fictionalized dual biography by one of the premier writers of historical fiction for young readers. Find out how two women--one who grew up in a wealthy Southern home and became the wife of the president of the United States, the other who was born a slave and eventually purchased her own freedom--come to be such close companions.

*Keep your eyes peeled for Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach April 2008.
*That goes double for Warrior's Refuge at the end of December 2007 and Warrior’s Return in April 2008.
*We can’t forget about Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter in April 2008.