Pfeffer, Sarah Beth – Life as We Knew It

Reviewed by Mr. Wee

Have you ever looked forward to a big cultural event—One of those big events even bigger than the Superbowl or the NCAA Final Four? A big event like that is on the horizon for Miranda. Scientists have determined that an asteroid is going to hit the moon. People all over the world are looking forward to the once in a lifetime event as the impact will be visible to the naked eye. Teachers in school have gotten on board and Miranda has had papers, essays, and projects galore, the focus of which has been the moon. As the day of impact approaches, a festive mood and an excited buzz sweeps through the town in Pennsylvania where Miranda and her family live. On the night of the impact, the sky is clear and everyone in town is out to watch the big event. As the impact occurs, however, it becomes very clear that this is not the harmless exciting event that scientists had predicted. The asteroid hits with such force that it is clear to all, that something bad has happened—Something very, very bad. The impact pushes the moon out of its orbit closer to the Earth. The moon’s changed orbit closer to the Earth wreaks havoc with the oceans causing tides to surge, tsunamis, and terrible earthquakes. The increased pull of the moon’s gravity draws magma to the Earth’s surface causing volcanoes to erupt where volcanoes had never existed. The ash and gasses released into the atmosphere begin to block out the sun and kill off crops all over the world. Told in the form of Miranda’s personal diary entries, Life as We Knew It is intense and a completely engrossing read that you will not be able to put down!

D.L. Garfinkle—Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl

By Mr. Wee

Michael “Storky” Pomerantz is a freshman. He’s tall, has a shock of curly hair on his head, and is skinny. He’s been known as “Storky” for a good many years—a nickname he’s very much hoping to outgrow in high school. Storky keeps a journal on an old computer in his room and he’s generously shared the journal of his freshman year with the rest of us in the form of this book. His best friend since elementary school is a girl named Gina the spend a lot of time together, often playing scrabble and such, but their time together has dwindled significantly since Gina started dating an older guy who is on the football team no less—Hunk. On top of all of this high school drama, Storky’s mom and dad have gotten divorced. His weekly visits with his dad (and his dad’s rather continual parade of new and young girlfriends) are even more torturous than the fact that his mom has just started dating the family dentist—Dr. Vermin! A bit standard and formulaic, but written well enough so that you do hope that Storky gets to lose the nickname AND get the girl!

Everyone of a "certain age" will remember where they were when they learned of the attacks of 9/11. This amazing piece is a 133 page adaptation of the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The artwork is riveting and amazingly powerful. The book includes a foreword by the Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission, Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton. While I am not generally a fan of the graphic novel format, this is a book that absolutely should not be missed!

Have you ever thought about what it is like to be a cow? More than anything in life, Darlene Joyce Schwenk, D.J., doesn't want to be a cow. No, we're not talking about D.J. being a real cow with four legs and udders, but neither are we talking about being a "cow" in mean girl middle school vernacular either. D.J. lives in the small town of Redbend, Wisconsin. Everyone around her, everyone she knows, does exactly what they are supposed to do without ever questioning it and without ever wondering if they could or should be doing something different. To D.J., who lives on a dairy farm, this is acting just like cows do. Cows do what they're told without even thinking about it. Well, D.J. doesn't want to be a cow! D.J. comes from a long and illustrious line of football playing greats. Her dad was a coach and her two older brothers were huge on field stars. A very good family friend, who happens to be head football coach at the hated rival school in the next town, asks D.J. to spend the summer using her rather extensive knowledge of football and training to train his quarterback. D.J. reluctantly agrees and all is well until she starts falling in love with her "traninee," her best friend who is a girl asks if D.J. will be her "girlfriend," and D.J. suddenly develops a strong desire to go out for the football team herself! This girl is definitely not destined for life as a cow! Most definitely a great and very fun read!

Translated from the French by Y. Maudet, Mourlevat’s “modern reinterpretation” of “Tom Thumb” is told from multiple perspectives as the reader follows Yann Doutreleau and his 6 brothers on their journey to the ocean. Though Yann Doutreleau is mute and considerably smaller than his brothers (he fits into a canvas grocery bag), he is their leader. After listening to his parents arguing, Yann wakes his brothers and convinces them to runaway because they are in danger. Mourlevat skillfully sews the various perspectives of the cast of characters who end up interacting with the boys. For example, a girl at the train station, silently pieces together that the boys on the train are twins and through quiet acknowledgment becomes one of their champions. The journey to the sea and the challenges the brothers must overcome are presented in a simple and poetic manner.

ALA Notable Children’s Book ; Mildred L. Batchelder Award 2006

Some day her prince will come! High school sophomore, Lucy Norton, is pretty sure that her prince must be somewhere just over the horizon. After all, just like Cinderella, Lucy already has: a dead mother, a wicked stepmother, two evil stepsisters, and no friends. With all of that “going” for her, all Lucy’s missing to complete the picture is her prince! Lucy’s widowed father has re-married and since Lucy’s two evil stepsisters cannot be expected to live their lives outside of the three mile radius surrounding the robust shopping district near their Long Island, New York home, she has been uprooted from her San Francisco home and has moved into her evil stepmother’s home. To make matters worse Lucy’s father, an attorney, was supposed to have moved two short weeks after Lucy, but his big case has kept him in San Francisco for months leaving Lucy at the mercy of her new “family.” Just as Lucy begins to think that her Cinderella-like existence will never end, she catches the eye of none other than Connor Pearson, star of the basketball team and absolutely hottest guy in the senior class. Things are looking up for Lucy—even without a fairy godmother in the picture. A fun read, with more pages devoted to the characters’ fashionista sensibilities than I personally cared to know, but overall an enjoyable beach read.

Parents may be a pain, but grandparents … grandparents are great. At least that’s what high school junior, Brit, thinks. Brit absolutely adores her elderly grandmother—Nannie. Unfortunately, Brit’s mom thinks that Nannie is “losing her marbles” so Brit’s mom cuts up Nannie’s driver’s license and sells Nannie’s car. When Brit’s parents decide to take a vacation into the wilds of Alaska, Brit is dropped off at Nannie’s house for a restful two week stay. Little do they know that Nannie is not going to go down without a fight. Determined to get to her sixty-fifth (and probably final) college reunion with three of her closest friends, Nannie rents a van and plans to take off on a three-state road trip picking up “the girls,” Nannie’s college roommates—Florence, Aurelia, and Daisy along the way. After the nearly blind Nannie demolishes a few hedges and rose bushes in the yard fronting the house, Brit is recruited to put her newly minted eleven day old license to use as chief chauffeur. The zany tale that ensues finds Brit embroiled in the slow motion kidnapping of an octogenarian and driving at terrifying speeds on freeways that she’s never heard of. Along the way, as she listens and watches Nannie and the girls, Brit comes to understand the wonderful gift of friendship and loyalty.