Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

posted by Mark Locker, Librarian

Put simply, I think Kelly Link is a really, really good writer. These nine tales, which range from kind of short (20 pages) to practically a novella, are a bit spooky, a bit magical, lots of wry humor, and lots of strange. The first story, “The Wrong Grave” is at once creepy and full of tongue-in-cheek wit. When teenage poet Miles loses his girlfriend in a fatal accident, he decides that putting a sheaf of poems in her coffin would be a fitting tribute. Many months later, he regrets that the only copies of those brilliant poems are six feet underground and, convinced that there’s an award-winning poem in there, he makes the dubious decision to unearth his girl to retrieve them. What he discovers is a sardonic combat-boot wearing girl with long, slithering, living hair. The story unfolds with humor, sensitivity and a little bit of creepy. “Magic for Beginners” is about the son of a horror fiction writer who inherits a pay phone booth and a chapel in Nevada. Interspersed with the main plot are descriptions of a strange pirate television show called the Library. It’s a strange, subtle, and beautifully written story. If it wasn’t for the teenage protagonists experiencing all kinds of teenage-angst-meets-supernatural phenomena, this could be a book for adults. Adults and young adults alike would be wise to read this. Ages 14 and up.

Tags: bedtime stories, book reviews, Kelly Link, Pretty Monsters

Owen and Mzee The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, et. al.

I’m not usually the sentimental type, but this book, which is a true story, always makes me smile and say, “Aww!”

Owen is a hippo who was separated from his family in a storm. He was found and brought to the Haller Park nature reserve in Kenya.  He was inexplicably drawn to a cranky old giant tortoise named Mzee. Through perseverance, Owen won the heart of Mzee and they are now best friends: they eat together, swim together, and sleep together. It’s just so sweet that if it wasn’t a true story it would be saccharine. But it is, so it’s not. Accompanied by several photographs of the two, this story comes in a number of versions, including a simplified board book for wee ones. Ages 2-100.

Knuffle Bunny Free! by Mo Willems

This is the third and presumably final installment of the beloved Knuffle Bunny series. Trixie is growing up. On a trip to visit family in Holland, Knuffle Bunny is forgotten on the airplane. Trixie learns, gradually, how to be happy without relying on her bunny. When it is miraculously found, she realizes that she no longer needs it and gives it to a sad little boy. It’s an incredibly sweet story with a little afterward which is a letter from Mo to his daughter : “Trixie, I hope to watch you grow up, fall in love, start a family, and be happy” the note begins. Parents are sure to shed sentimental tears, kids are sure to love the classic Knuffle Bunny illustrations and humor. Ages 4-100.

Tags: bed, bedtime stories, book reviews, family, Isabella Hatkoff, knuffle bunny, mo willems, owen and mzee

The Bone Magician by F.E. Higgins

Although sometimes great books are encased in less-than-beautiful covers, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. I borrowed The Bone Magician from my local library based on the dark and spooky cover with a fake 19^th century style binding. Boy, did I choose right. This book, which is a “paraquel” to Higgins’ first novel The Black Book of Secrets, meaning the two stories happen simultaneously, guides the reader through the cruel and filthy streets of  Urbs Umida, a city whose inhabitants make Charles Dickens’ characters look like well-washed angels. The main story follows Pin Carpue, apprentice to a coffin-maker and official corpse-watcher; his job is to ensure that the dead are indeed dead before they are buried. When he stumbles upon a trio performing a strange ritual which causes a dead woman to speak, Pin finds himself caught up in a world of mystery and possible necromancy. The plot is peppered with sub-plots, filled with lots of characters ranging from atrocious to hilarious: there is a creature known as the Gluttonous Beast, who is kept as pay-per-view curiosity; Pin’s spirit-raising friend Juno; a potato-hurling dwarf poet named Beag; even the rank, wretched river Foedus is a character. Anyone who appreciates a wry sense of humor, a macabre but amusing story, and a magical, mysterious tale is sure to enjoy this book. Ages 10-14.

Tags: bed, book reviews, Children, reading, The Black Book of Secrets, The Bone Magician

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

I feel like I would be remiss of my duties as a blogging children’s librarian if I did not write a review of one of the Frog and Toad series. My feelings on these books are complex; I love them and enjoy revisiting them. At the same time, however, I have always felt a certain air of loneliness and helplessness when reading them: the images are drab olive and browns; Toad is always hopelessly needy and doing the wrong thing (kind of the George Costanza of children’s books); and occasionally their small stature makes the rest of the world seem daunting. That said, these are great to read with beginning readers, who will love the bumbling Toad, and admire the cool and wise frog. The stories are very short so parents and children can easily read a story or two before bedtime. Also, their pants go up to their chests, which is always fun to look at! My favorite story is the one in which Toad makes cookies and the only way to resist eating them all is to give them to the birds. Such willpower George—er—Toad has! Ages 4 and up.

Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant.

There’s something about Moonlight that lends itself to being read over and over. It lends itself to being read in a whisper. I love it. It follows the nighttime prowl of a cat whose favorite night is Halloween. He watches trick-or-treaters from the shadows, watches owls and bats fly about, and even finds a fallen piece of candy! The illustrations are sometimes laughably simple, as if a ten-year-old did them and somehow this just adds to the charm of the book. Go out and get it right now. NOW! Ages 2-6.

Tags: beds, bedtime stories, book reviews, Books, family, Frog and Toad, Lifestyle, Moonlight the Halloween Cat

Posted by Mark Locker.

John Bellairs is, in my opinion, the most woefully under appreciated children’s author ever. Despite having written eighteen chilling Gothic tales for kids, he has attained little more than cult status. My all-time favorite book of his also happens also to be the first of his books that I ever read. As with most of his books, the dust jacket and frontispiece are illustrated by Edward Gorey, whose grim pen-and-ink illustrations add a deliciously creepy feel. The Mummy, the Will and the Crypt is one of many books about shy, nerdy Johnny Dixon who lives with his grandparents in Duston Heights, circa 1950. After a visit to a cereal mogul H. Glomus’s home with his only friend, the lovable, cranky Professor Childermass, Johnny becomes obsessed with trying to unravel the mysteries of the location of the Glomus will. When his grandma falls ill, the $10,000 reward for finding the will is irresistible to him. By luck, a Boy Scout trip to the White Mountains leads, Johnny to the Glomus summer home. Convinced that the will is hidden there, he sneaks back up only to find himself going head-to-head against scary forces Glomus himself summoned while tinkering with black magic and scrambling to preserve his life.

One of my favorite features of Bellairs’ novels is that not only are they funny and exciting, they are genuinely spooky. There is never a “Scooby-Doo” ending in which the villain is simply a cranky neighbor (in fact the cranky neighbor in these books is the hero!); the villain is always a warlock or a force summoned from Hell. Good fun for a rainy night. Ages 8-12.

Tags: beds, bedtime stories, book reviews, Books, Lifestyle, The Mummy the Will and the Crypt