Rich, Susan. Half-Minute Horrors. Harper, 2009. Grades 4-8

America’s leading children’s authors and illustrators come together to share their own thirty second horror stories in just 3 pages or less. Authors and illustrators such as Erin Hunter, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, Brian Selznick, and Dan Gutman provide eerie tales through a variety of means, including comics, scary art, haikus, short vivid stories, and more. These bone-chilling episodes are depicted through original illustrations and rich descriptive language but often end in the middle of hair-raising action, leaving a lot to the imagination of the reader. In one bewildering comic by R Sala, a boy is kidnapped by an unnerving man in a painting at the doctor’s office: “…That’s when he noticed the old man’s hands. They were bony and scaly and had long pointed nails.” Illustrations paired with this text show the long fingers reaching out from the painting grabbing the wide-eyed boy and end with the mother screaming: “And her screams could be heard all the way down the street.” Although most stories are all written or illustrated in a page or two, each author has their own unique style. Jon Klassen, for example, slyly tells a disturbing tale of a murdered girl’s body being buried in multiple places, but does so in a one page black and white illustration of a house with a numbered list of what's in the ground, leaving the reader to figure out the creepy synopsis by analyzing the text and drawing. Although each of these stories are not equally spooky, the diverse mix is sure to interest elementary and middle school children, especially reluctant readers who don’t like long chapter books. Readers unacquainted with horror stories may also find that the blend of illustration and text are the perfect vehicle to explore the macabre sides of their favorite authors. Ultimately, through a variety of sinister drawings, descriptive imagery, and clever comics, Half Minute Horrors contains a collection of artfully crafted horror stories for children that also work as the perfect Halloween read aloud (by campfire or flashlight, of course).


Also, in keeping with the spooky nature of this children's book, check out this zomibie-fied photo of me! With the help of Michelle Bober, Marketing Associate at Naperville Public Library, I was turned into a Zombie who loves to read! This was created to promote the teen Summer Reading Program in 2014.

YA Book Review: Tomboy by Liz Prince

Prince, Liz. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir. San Francisco: Zest, 2014. Print. Grades 9+

This brutally honest, funny, and sometimes agonizing graphic memoir provides insight into the raw emotions experienced by Liz Prince, a self-identified tomboy.  As early as the age of two, Prince would cry hysterically when she was forced to wear dresses and, like many girls, became ashamed of her body as she got older, even covering herself with a t-shirt as she went swimming at summer camp.  “I was suddenly aware that I was under-performing in ways I didn’t even know existed. From then on, I always showered in my swimsuit, I changed clothes in the out-house (which defeated the purpose of showering) and worst of all, I developed the habit of SWIMMING IN A T-SHIRT.” Tomboy is also a timeline of Prince’s evolving thoughts about her own sexuality and gender identity as she lived through years of bullying and rejection from boys. “Dear God, I won’t pretend to know what your plan is for me, but please don’t make me be a girl. So, can you make sure I never get boobs or have my period?” Her unique perspective on the gender stereotypes deeply embedded in American culture is refreshing, empowering, and very genuine. Throughout the story, Prince eventually discovers a community of like-minded nonconformists, interested in comics, punk music, and zines, and transforms herself into a strong young woman who is comfortable with her identity as a tomboy.  This message of self-acceptance will likely strike a chord with young adult female readers who have struggled with bullying, body image issues, or concerns about gender-identity. The black and white artwork in Tomboy is very reminiscent of the raw style of Jeffrey Brown (Author of Clumsy and Funny Misshapen Body) and delivers a touch of casual charm.  Prince’s clean trademark artwork is child-like but authentic which perfectly supplements the text that evokes so many emotions.  Prince also exaggerates many of the facial expressions of the characters in her book, making her character one that readers will likely sympathize with. Ultimately, Tomboy is the perfect coming-of-age tale for any teen who considers themselves an “outcast” as it provides an honest message that it is absolutely possible to eventually gain self-acceptance, despite the heart-wrenching agony of childhood traumas.

Book Review: Flying Cars

I am so sorry I have not written in such a long time! Graduate school has consumed my life. I resigned from working at the library in order to really focus on school. Currently I am taking a wonderful book reviewing class with the ever so amazing Janice Del Negro! I am learning so much about how to write proper book reviews and so I will probably be posting here a little bit more because of this.

Here is a book review I wrote for a new book that comes out in August, 2015. It's called Flying Cars and it is a really neat book.

Glass, Andrew. Flying Cars: The True Story. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, August, 2015. Grades 4-7.

Glass presents the captivating and eccentric history of flying cars and their rival inventors in a digestible way for children, using carefully selected photographs, drawing plans, and newspaper clippings paired with short biographies on the curious inventors who were determined to make flying cars a reality.  Flying Cars introduces numerous early flight vehicles to readers, such as the Albatross of 1868, and shares facts about the inventors’ amusing misadventures and occasional successes in first flight. Readers learn comical facts like Les Bris’s wheels-to-wings adventure was concluded when the Albatross “…was demolished during a disastrous landing that also broke the inventor’s leg.”  (pg 4) The most prominent feature of this nonfiction title is the numerous black and white photographs of peculiar flying cars such as the Vuia, the Autoplane (also known as An Aerial Limousine), the Felix Longobardi, and Autigiro, to name a few.  Glass shares the rich history of these 19th century retro-futuristic flying vehicles in a descriptive manner using fine details, like the Curtiss Autoplane of 1917 flew “…two passengers relaxed in the comfort of its posh leather-lined, velvet-curtained compartment” at a steady 65 miles an hour (pg 23). Glass also introduces other stimulating facts about these odd flying cars by providing actual newspaper clippings, transporting young readers into the past. This nonfiction book also includes an Index, glossary, source notes, and bibliography, making this book a reliable resource for research.  The glossary is particularly helpful for young readers who may not be familiar with technical terms such as fuselage, monoplane, or rudder. Readers with internet access are also given the chance to see the real magic of these obscure cars come to life by browsing the YouTube videos listed at the end of this book. This quirky book is a fine supplement to units on inventors and inventions and would be particularly appealing to children who like their books to have a spirit of adventure. Ultimately, this well-written book perfectly balances historical photographs with factual information that is engaging and fun to read.