summer reading

Summer is upon us and that means Summer reading at the library. In an effort to keep kids from suffering from the learning gap that accompanies the long school break and to get people in to the library we offer a host of incentives including prizes for the kids who meet their personal reading goals and activities nearly every day of the week. It also means that kids of all ages, sizes and under various forms of supervision (or lack thereof) descend on the library like a swarm of army ants, swarming over every available inch of floor and low laying display space and leaving a swath of chaos behind them. Books are used as flotation devices, stepping stones, building blocks, and weapons of mass destruction by the armfuls but rarely as the vehicles for transporting kids to other times and spaces (oh that this could be done literally and not just figuratively!) I love kids and I love the library but sometimes they just don’t really seem to go together.

I realize getting them into the building, even if they only come for the puppet shows and never crack a book, is half the battle. They’re aware of the library, they feel comfortable here, we make a name for ourselves in the community and hopefully as the years go by they remember us and return often and maybe even use us for our books. In the meantime we have bedlam in the program room and anarchy in the stacks. So, I dose myself with heavy duty, deep dark chocolate, keep the Advil at the ready and mentally prepare for the daily onslaught, counting down the days to my stretch of unemployment (while trying not to think of the lack of paycheck that will mean.) Bring it kiddies, bring it!

Happiness is...a good book. (Summer Reading edition #7)

Happy Sunday! Here's round two for today.  Hope you are all enjoying the lovely long weekend.

Cinderella Smith
Author: Stephanie Barden

Illustrator: Diane Goode
Pages: 148
Age Range: 7+
Published: 2011
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover Score: ****
Overall Grade: ****
Rating: G

Josephine-Katherine Smith, otherwise known as Cinderella due to her penchant for constantly losing her shoes, is preparing to embark on a new school year full of new adventures. Her neighbor, Charlie Prince, is in the same class and luckily so are all her old friends.  But maybe it isn’t so lucky after all.  The girls seem to have grown up overnight and left Cinderella behind.  Cinderella finds herself being mocked for not having her ears pierced (her mother insists she’s not old enough) and for holding her father’s hand as they walk to school (it’s tradition!) And a kerfuffle in class regarding her name sends them all over the edge.

With hurt feelings, Cinderella ventures into the cafeteria to find that the last seat at the table is now being saved for the new girl, Erin. But Erin surprises them all by choosing to sit with Cinderella. She’s convinced that Cinderella will be able to help her with her problem; the new step-sisters she will acquire when her mom gets married in a few months. She hasn’t met them yet but she’s sure they will be wicked and she doesn't know what to do about it. Cinderella confesses she doesn’t know anything about step-sisters but she is good at giving advice and will do everything she can to help.

The girls become fast friends and help each other navigate all the crazy changes in their lives including the upcoming wedding, Halloween costume craziness, and the mystery of Cinderella’s lost red tap shoe which she needs in order to secure her place as the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy in the autumn dance recital.

Cinderella is a charming character, not quite as spunky or trouble prone as Clementine or Ramona but along the same lines. She’s got a great realistic voice and is constantly throwing out catchy phrases and sighing “Alas” in an exasperated way. And Goode’s black-and-white sketches sprinkled throughout add to the light, comical tone. This is a fun early reader perfect for girls who are just reaching that ‘catty/mean-girl’ stage, reminding them to stay true to themselves and accept everyone quirks and all (it makes life much more interesting and pleasant for all involved!)  

I think I would have loved this when I was a kid.  I devoured all of the Ramona books and then branched into the Baby-sitters Club and such.  I was not a fantasy reader when I was little. I had no patience for magic, much preferring the dramas of 'reality' to the vast and grand battles between good and evil. As an adult I will read just about anything but my return to children's literature was sparked by all of the great fairy tale re-tellings and fantasies out there. (I even wrote my master's paper on the importance of fantasy literature!) So, my childhood tastes did not necessarily foreshadow those of my adulthood. I'm even glad Harry Potter didn't arrive on the scene until I was an adult because I honestly don't think I would have enjoyed them at all. So, I pose to you, dear readers, a series of questions.  What were some of your favorite books as a child? Were any of them instrumental in shaping your future reading choices? What books have you read as an adult that you wish you could go back in time to put in the hands of your younger (child/teen) self? I'd love to hear from you!