The Hypnotists (The Hypnotists #1) by Gordon Korman

This fast-paced novel starts out exciting only to backfire like a sputtering car. Gordon Korman has terrific descriptions that involve all the senses and allow readers to get sucked into the plot like a "speeding jaggernaut." Chapter one was my favorite and reminded me of the movie, "Speed." The promising plot went downhill from there with its predictability and pacing that has the reader knowing long in advance what is happening before the protagonist does. I'm okay with a little bit of this but not pages and pages and at every major turning point in the plot. Jackson, who goes by the nickname Jax, was annoyingly naive at figuring out situations and reading people. What had potential became a frustrating read that had me skimming pages in order to finish it pronto.

Jax is playing in a championship basketball game when his team wins as a result of the opponent's superstar having a poor night shooting. Jax notices the star is off his game and dazed. Every time Jax makes a suggestion the star does what Jax says, such as missing a free throw or shots he'd normally make. While Jax thought it odd he didn't think anything of it. After the game, he tells his parents about visions he's getting and he goes to see a psychiatrist whose diagnosis is corny and irritating to Jax. Jax tells the psychiatrist to jump out the window which he promptly tries to do. They are on the 35th floor and while the reader knows what is going on Jax is still not putting two-and-two together. When Jax's best friend Tommy points out all the weird things Jax has done in the past convincing others to do things such as join the debate team or win over a girl, Jax still doesn't face the facts that he has the power to influence people. When Jax hypnotizes a hypnotist and still doesn't get the obvious, I was grinding my teeth at the dull-witted protagonist that is supposedly smart.

Jax gets invited to a school for gifted kids that shows an unhealthy competitiveness between students and a manipulative director. It would have been more fun trying to figure out if the director was a good guy or bad guy but it was so obvious that it took much of the tension out of the plot for me. "The Colossus Rises" by Peter Lerangis has a similar plot that kept me guessing well into the story the loyalty of the person who could be a villain or good guy. Jax's blind belief in what he sees on the surface with no thought as to different motives made him too simple at times and lacking in complexity which for me is what makes a character interesting. When Jax becomes involved in a political intrigue involving the future president of the United States, his entire family and friends become targets by the killers.

*spoilers*
The descriptions are great and action scenes well written, it's just the plot is predictable in too many parts. While many will like the action, I doubt they'll be as irritated as me with Jax. Jax's superpowers are explained in depth and well. This was probably the most interesting part, although because he has so many visions (before figuring out his powers) that it got repetitive at times. It didn't make sense that Jax wanted Dr. Mako's approval so badly and blindly followed him. Mako was using a form of mind control on the students and while the other students talked about the school cynically, Jax still refused to believe things weren't right even though the evidence showed otherwise. While they followed Mako in some parts the end seemed contradictory when they scold Jax for not seeing the truth. After meeting Axel Braintree, Jax had some doubt regarding Mako, but it took 70 pages before he sees what the reader already knows. The slow pace and unveiling of the plot drove me crazy.

The authentic moments of being a teenager were well done such as the kids practicing hypnosis on each other even though it was banned which is like trying to "outlaw towel-snapping in a locker room." And Tommy tossing an airplane at girl and making a fool out of himself because he has a crush on her and doesn't know how to get her attention reminds me of the 5th grade girls and boys taking books from each other because they are starting to notice gender differences and want the opposite sex's attention.

The Guild meeting chapter is presented as too one-sided without showing the complexity of the situation. The abusers use their gift for personal gain and are trying to lead honest lives. But a Wall Street woman turning to waitressing? I don't think so. The dialogue showed that the group had no focus. The opposing forces could have been presented in a more politically balanced way such as Axel showing some of his brains that suddenly appear at the end. Actually at the end when Axel is explaining why he stole, the dialogue with Jax was more authentic and didn't make him look like a doofus that was too cryptic about Mako.

The subplot of Tommy didn't materialize like I expected. Tommy is a flat character that doesn't really get much depth through his dialogue with Jax. When Tommy helps Jax on the night of the robbery and later when Jax is suffering to the point of being debilitating, Tommy doesn't really help him in any meaningful way. I thought Tommy might go and get Axel or find the group but he lets Jax figure it out on his own. His character doesn't grow or change internally and fizzles a bit as the story continues and he fails to act.  I also thought the tie-in of his color-blindness and not being hypnotized by Jax to Jax suddenly being able to hypnotize him as too abrupt. 

When Jax makes a video and then doesn't do anything for a week I couldn't believe it took him so long to go to the only person that could help him. When he does I'm so disgusted with his character for waiting so long that I started speed-reading through ink. When Jax forgets his metro card, it was the frosting on my disgusted cake. Normally I like Korman and I know many kids will like the action in this book, but you'd have to hypnotize me to get me to read the sequel.

2 Smileys

The Quirks: Welcome to Normal by Erin Soderberg

The start of this book reminded me of "Savvy" with the Quirk family having superpower abilities that make it difficult for them to live a normal life. The Quirks live in the town of Normal where people live in identical houses and drive identical cars. What looked like a tall tale turns into a story of people with magical powers trying to live normal lives and fit in with other kids at school. As the story unfolds it loses the tall tale feel and focuses on magic and fitting in. A fun read that is good for grades 3 & 4.

Molly, the protagonist, is always trying to keep her family together. Her twin sister Penelope has so much magic, called a "Quirk," that whenever she imagines something it comes into existence. This causes all sorts of trouble and their mom ends up using her Quirk, which is the power of persuasion, to talk people out of believing what magic they just saw Penelope accidentally perform. Grandpa can rewind time, but Molly has no magic. Finn, the kindergartener, is invisible except to Molly who feels responsible for him since only see can see him. The father abandoned the family. This subplot isn't explored much - maybe questions will be answered in the sequels. This is the first book in a series.

Kids will like the constant silliness and pranks that Finn does to others. I got tired of them toward the end because he was crossing the line and hurting people. He dunks Charlie to the point that he needs to be rescued and he causes havoc at school because he is bored. If you want to discuss with a child how to not behave, Finn's behavior will give you plenty to talk about. If you want to live vicariously through a character doing pranks that you'd never have the guts nor ability to carry out, then you'll enjoy Finn. He's kind of endearing in a gross, self-centered and spoiled way.

The plot is simple and straightforward making the story easy to follow. The characters are not complex either. Molly seems to feel responsible for her family as if she is taking the place of her father, but I'm not sure of her motivations for being responsible for everyone else. If she's not fixing her sister, she's watching Finn like a mother or keeping an eye on grandpa.  Her twin, Penelope, is a bit mopey and insecure for someone with amazing powers. I got tired of Penelope's defeatist attitude, although it sets up for a nice message at the end about believing in oneself and thinking positively not negatively. The mom has the power of persuasion, but waitresses which didn't make sense since she's the breadwinner. Actually a few things didn't jive such as Finn being allowed to chew gum at school as a five-year-old. Or a sleepover party where the girls order mushrooms on the pizza. Neither of those things would ever happen. Finn's voice was too old at times too. The grandma is not developed as a minor character. She's a fairy godmother and hides out after being traumatized as the family fled from the previous town. She never speaks in this book but appears at the end in a way that I think she'll have a voice and part to play in the next book, " The Quirks in Circus Quirkus."

The start of the book describes the people of Normal as driving the same cars, living in identical houses, and sending the Quirks the same welcoming gift. This changes later and the reader will see that people have differences at school, how they dress, and how they celebrate a yearly event. I thought the beginning exaggeration of the town funny that would lead to the people being presented as caricatures of extreme conformity; thus acting as a foil to the Quirks odd ways. This doesn't happen and town life is depicted more realistic than I expected from the setup.

When the town has their "Normal Night" celebration where they try to break a world record by doing something really odd, it is evident that they really are not normal. I expected one of the author's messages to be celebrating individuality, but it is about fitting in and conforming in society. The Quirks want to lead a normal life. They are tired of moving and tired of the stress that comes from learning to manage their Quirks. Even the adults have difficulties managing their superpowers. The twins are trying to make friends at school while Finn is resisting the attempts to civilize him in every way possible. While I liked the start, the middle part slowed a bit, and the end picked up. A good story for kids that are new at school and trying to fit in.

3 Smileys

Mister Orange by Truus Matti

Growing up I couldn't understand my dad's insistence that the walls of our house be white. Now I realize that as an architect he was influenced by the minimalist Bauhaus style. His company followed the Bauhaus movement that believed all arts should work together with design. My dad loves the Bauhaus bent toward clean lines, simplicity, and few decorations. He also had a few abstract paintings hanging on walls that usually had a design element I could not understand or see. I grew up seeing artists work similar to Piet Mondrian's on our walls. Strong horizontal and vertical lines with primary colors. Piet Mondrian's work was a part of the "De Stijl" movement that influenced the Bauhaus and I really enjoyed "Mister Orange" that has the protagonist, Linus, meeting the artist, Piet Mondrian. When Linus decides he's going to paint his walls white like Piet's, I was transported back to my white-walled childhood with my mom complaining to my dad,"You never let me hang wallpaper!" Linus's brother Simon's response to white walls reminded me of my mom. "'Paint them white?' ...'What's the point? This isn't a hospital.'" When Linus tells him the room will look bigger and brighter, Simon tells him it is a dumb idea.

Linus meets the artist, Piet Mondrian, after taking over the delivery route that Simon used to do. His parents own a grocery store in New York during the 1940s. Linus is the third child out of six and times have changed since his oldest brother, Albie, volunteered to fight in World War II. On the delivery route Linus meets Piet Mondrian but he cannot pronounce his name so he calls him, "Mister Orange," because he delivers a crate of oranges once a week to him. Linus learns that the artist fled Europe because the Nazi's would not give him the freedom to paint what he wanted to and banned his art. Art under Hitler was a propaganda machine not a form of artistic expression and abstract art did not further the Third Reich in any political way. Linus first thinks of war in a glorified way believing Albie has superpowers like the comic book characters he so loves to reads. He slowly learns from letters that Albie writes home that war is "wretched" and by talking about it with Mr. Orange Linus discovers that freedom of expression and imagination whether in art or any other form is worth fighting for.

The subplot of Linus losing his friend to a bully shows how fickle friendships can be. Linus is mad at him but then gets over it and later they are friends again. They don't really think too much about it or hash over it when they reunite and I found their actions authentic and spot on for their age. Some kids handle conflict like this and don't have the vocabulary to deal with it in what an adult might find as an immature manner, but I did wish Linus had asked why his best friend became friends with the bully.  The only explanation is Linus speculating that the bully is older in age and perhaps that had an appeal to his best friend. This seemed a bit weak even though I liked the portrayal of the boys friendship overall.

The other subplot of the superhero was unique revealing an interesting way that Linus dealt with his fears. Albie and Linus love comics and Albie even creates one called Mr. Superspeed. Linus talks to this imaginary superhero and expects him to protect Albie. It is through his imaginary conversations with Mr. Superspeed that Linus learns to face his fears about his brother being killed in the war and change in his understanding of how dangerous war is for not only Albie but other soldiers. When he talks to Mr. Orange about Albie and their comic creation, he is able to put together that Albie is fighting for the freedom to choose how to live one's life.

Linus questions Mr. Orange and the value of art when there is a war going on. Mr. Orange explains how imagination is the mother of invention. If people are not allowed to imagine then cities would not have been built. Nor subways invented. Then he talks about how art scares the Nazis. How they silence people whose art has different opinions than their propaganda. He also states, "Whenever people have their freedom taken away, they always fight back." Later in a powerful climax, Linus articulates his conversation with Mr. Orange by comforting his dad in an explanation of Albie using his imagination for a better future and doing the right thing for freedom.

I remember having a conversation with my dad about great architects in Barcelona after a jaunt around the city looking at Antonio Gaudi's fabulous buildings. My dad talked about how difficult he thought it was to take risks in designing a building. If it fails, it is an expensive eyesore for all to see. It is someone else's money. Many times the client has their own ideas that are at odds with the architect's. He felt that as the company's owner he couldn't take great risks. While this is not a message in this book, the topic of imagination between Linus and Piet, reminded of this conversation regarding great artists and architects. Writing a great book could be added to that discussion. It is fascinating when art blossoms throughout history. When the right people come together at the right time and their imaginations invent something completely new. Piet Mondrian is one of those people and  "Mister Orange" is book that will make you think.

4 Smileys

Seven Stories Up by Laurel Snyder

When I stand in front of a class with a stack of 15 books my book talk is similar to an auction chant, "Here's a book 'bout a girl locked in a room. That's right, locked in a room. She's rescued by her granddaughter who's traveled back in time. Imagine that, grandma as a teen. Who wants to read this book? Do I see a taker? Adventures in a hotel. Explorations in dumbwaiters. Flights down fire escapes. Travels in laundry chutes. Again who wants to read this book? Do I see a hand? One hand up, do I see two, will ya give me two? Two hands, now three, will ya give me three? Going, going, gone! Sold, to the first person that raised her hand." Just kidding. I have never tried that before. Might be a good way to mix things up in the routine. Either way I will chant about "Seven Stories Up" in my next booktalk.

Annie Jaffin travels with her mom to visit her estranged grandma in a Baltimore hotel where she grew up. The grandma is hostile and mean making 12-year-old Annie wonder what happened to her in life to make her such a nasty, rotten egg. A strange storm hits in the night and Annie wakes up 50 years earlier in 1937 where she meets her grandmother, Mary Moran, a young girl who is locked in a room because she has asthma and her parents are afraid she'll die if she's around others. Mary, who goes by the name "Molly", wishes so hard for a friend that Annie magically appears there although Molly doesn't know Annie is her granddaughter. Annie knows that Molly will live to be old and talks her into escaping the "Lonely Room." The two have fun adventures that capture childhood and friendship and how small or large decisions can have consequences as to how a person will grow into an adult.

I have a folder labeled, "Great starts," to a novel. I added this book's beginning to that folder. The first pages hooked me with the tension and great description of setting and character. "You're supposed to cry when your grandma is dying. You're supposed to be really sad. But as Mom and I sped through the dark streets of Baltimore, I couldn't stop bouncing in my seat. At last I stuck my head out the window and leaned into the muggy night. My hair whipped around. The sharp rush of air felt good on my face." I was immediately drawn to the liveliness and energy of Annie that could not be contained. She sounds like a puppy who gets to go for a car ride and life is just too much fun to be sad. Annie's mom is mysterious about her past and Annie doesn't really know her grandma. Her character is such that she is brave and inquisitive, making her actions consistent throughout the entire story, which is necessary in the development of her relationship with Molly.

One of the best things about reading children's books is it reminds me of the fun kid-things I used to do such as playing games like "Jinx" that Annie and Molly play. The two also play hand-slapping games and have fun exploring the hotel.The laundry chute and dumbwaiter escape from the "Lonely Room" is great fun and the late night run for food that they dubbed, "Sneakypies," was something I know my best friend and I would have acted out if this book was written in the 1970s. The "Sneakypie" connection in the future at the end with the restaurant was a nice touch as well. I particularly liked it when the girls make a list of what they want to do for the next day that leads them into a pretend game of dreaming big. Annie says she wants to travel to Egypt. Molly says she wants to fly. They add famous people and pizza to the list. It is imaginative and shows how children don't set boundaries on themselves like adults do. When Annie adds to the list that she wants to save someone's life, meaning she wants to save her grandma from a lifetime of unhappiness, she is revealing the overall story arc. Every action points to Annie trying to help her grandma.

While the book references "Eloise" who lived in a grand hotel and the magic of the wardrobe in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," it is mostly patterned after "The Secret Garden." Mary Lennox in "The Secret Garden" was spoiled and unlikable to people. She is so lonely and isolated that her only friend is a maidservant. Molly in "Seven Stories" is also unlikable and mean toward her nurse at first before becoming friends. The relationship between Molly and her nurse felt rushed to me because Annie is telling it from her point of view. Molly's point of view would have given me a feel for what she was thinking and feeling. As is, Molly's bossy attitude toward her nurse changed because of Annie's scolding and it happened quickly. I kept expecting Molly to be more nasty and self-centered. She is more likable than the characters in "The Secret Garden."

Molly in "Seven Stories Up" has asthma and is so sick the parents think she will die. Colin in "the Secret Garden," suffers from some spine problem that isn't explained and confined to a bedroom just like Molly is in this novel. Colin is the most ill-tempered character of all having spectacular temper-tantrums. Molly is not as cranky as either Colin or Mary in "The Secret Garden," being more desperate for a friend to play with on a daily basis. Colin believes the garden can heal him because it has Magic. Molly believes a bottle of Magic potion will heal her from her asthma. While the garden was a symbol of rebirth for the two kids who lost their parents in "The Secret Garden", Molly's rebirth occurs from being saved by Annie who gives her the courage to stand up to her dad and not be locked in a room. Annie will turn Molly from the future unhappy grandma into a person who is not stunted by fear and loneliness. This message actually reminds me of  the Chronicles of Narnia where unhappy humans are portrayed as people that do not reach their potential; hence, they never find happiness in life and are stunted in their growth as individuals.

An interesting note by the author in the back explains how she had a grandma who owned a hotel and was a very unhappy person. While the story is not about the grandma it is the author's fantasy of changing her relative into a person that led a full life full of joy and happiness. This reminds me of "The Hundred Dresses" where the author wrote it to change how she reacted to a girl being bullied when she was little. In that book, she stands up for the girl and rights a wrong. Life can be full of regrets and disappointments. Books help readers and authors cope with life. Another book that is patterned after "The Secret Garden" is "The Humming Room" by Ellen Potter that readers might like. "Seven Stories Up" is a great addition to any library. Going, going, gone! Sold, to the "girl chewing her thumbnail."

4 Smileys

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

My mother-in-law's photography hobby led her to tipping a canoe in a quagmire of lilypads and sending her expensive camera to the bottom of the lake. I've had my own adventures where my scared dog tipped the canoe jumping out, then tried to drown my husband by wrapping his body around his shoulders and head. Lucy Emery, the new kid, is not a klutz and while she takes pictures in a kayak and brings her dog with on one trip she is a cautious girl that doesn't have any disasters like me. She assimilates pretty quickly to her new life on the lake making friends with her friendly neighbors, the siblings Nate and Emily, who spend each day on Loon Patrol, their catchy phrase for observing the loons nesting on the lake. Like biologists-in-training, the two will report their daily observations to the Loon Preservation Committee office at the end of the summer. They let Lucy come with them to take pictures for a photography contest. Cynthia Lord is one of the few realistic fiction writers that can sweep me into a slower moving story. I admire how she crafts her plot, develops characters, writes memorable phrases, and creates tension through relationships. While the start is a little slow for me, it all comes together at the end with some strong messages.

As a twelve-year-old, Lucy is not new to moving to a new place. Her dad, a famous photographer, finds it hard to stay put in one place. When she moves from Massachusetts to a lakeside home in New Hampshire she struggles with being the new kid again. She knows that some will be interested in her at first only to go back to their old friends when they tire of her. When she meets Nate she finds that his childhood friend, Megan, is jealous that Lucy is invading her turf. When Emily and Nate invite Lucy to go on Loon Patrol it is easy to see why Megan is upset since she was the previous third wheel on Loon Patrol. Megan doesn't deal well with her anger and retaliates in a nasty way toward Lucy. Meanwhile Lucy wonders if Nate's friendship is real or temporary. When Lucy discovers her dad is judging a photography contest she decides to secretly enter. She wants her dad's unbiased opinion of her photography skills since she wants to follow his career path. She is full of doubts and insecurities about not being good enough in her relationships with others. Lucy justifies entering the contest by wanting to use the money to help Nate's sick grandma see the loons.

Lucy is shy and shows her uncertainty with making friends. She is sensitive to what others think of her. She texts Nate and then wonders if her one-word response was too blunt and adds another text. Her uncertainty captures what it is like growing up and learning to socialize, especially when a kid is somewhat interested in a boy. Lucy has never had a friend that is a boy and is somewhat conflicted, not recognizing her romantic feelings toward Nate. Nate helps Lucy with her photos for the contest and quite a bit of the dialogue and descriptions involve the art of photography. I liked the parallels between it and stories. "I imagined Dad beside me: 'It's pretty,' he'd say. 'But pretty isn't enough for  a great photograph. Show me why I care. What's the story?'" Storytelling is the same way. The reader must care for the characters and story for it to come alive and keep them reading. I have never stopped to think of photography in the same way as crafting a story.

Megan is not a one-dimensional villain and Lucy reacts to her meanness with kindness. She does this because she wants what is best for the loons and sets aside petty jealousy that is affecting her relationship with Megan. Both are interested in the same boy and Megan is rightfully upset about being excluded from the trio, she just reacts to it in an unhealthy way. When Megan sabotages Lucy's project, it is revealing that Lucy responds in a mature manner. Lucy never tattles on Megan and includes her in the project. She even uses her photos and compliments her. She doesn't stoop to the same levels as Megan even though she thinks some jealous thoughts. Instead she always keeps the big picture in mind which is what is best for the loons and how can the group accomplish this? Megan knows that she doesn't deserve Lucy's kindness and respect and in the end feels ashamed of her actions and apologizes to Lucy. The author shows the result of Lucy not reacting in anger to Megan that allows them to be civil to each other even though they both like Nate and don't want to share him with each other. Ironically, Nate is oblivious to their friction and mutual attraction to him.

Cynthia Lord does a nice job articulating feelings in regards to relationships that many readers might not know how to express in words. "I know what it feels like when you want to matter to someone and they don't notice. But I was still mad at Megan for deleting my photos and trying to take over my idea of the posters." While Lucy is mad at her she never retaliates in anger and the result is "Megan and I might not ever be good friends, ... but ...I was going to ...invite her. Because maybe we both wanted to try, and sometimes people are like shooting photos. It takes a bunch of misses before something good happens." Lucy knows her dad loves her but she wants her dad to notice her photography. And she wants to be good at it. She's afraid of failure and also brave at striking out and taking risks with her photography. When she uses the photo of Grandma Lilah, it took courage to choose it because she knew she'd be upsetting her friend, Nate.

The subplot of Nate's grandma losing her mind because of dementia is full of tension and authenticity. My mom is going through the same thing. She's in the phase of dementia where she recognizes that her mind is not working properly. Because I've experienced this illness in my personal life, I found the author's portrayal of Grandma Lilah very real and poignant. Nate is in denial of his grandma's illness and afraid of her not recognizing him. I know eventually my mom will also not know me. It fills me with sadness and is not an easy thing to deal with as an adult much less as a child. Lucy's actions force Nate to talk about it and deal with his grandma's illness in a healthy manner.

Friendship, family relationships, facing a loved one's illness, and being the new kid are just a few of the many themes the author splashes throughout the plot. Lucy's dad is a nice guy but is hard to live with as he likes to move and travel. As a famous photographer he likes change and the freshness it brings to his photos, "But really, I think Dad loves how good it feels to leave - to let go of the routine in an old place and start over somewhere else." I can actually relate to the dad. I enjoy change in routine because it makes me feel so alive. Luckily my husband has the same wanderlust as me giving me a best friend to traipse all over the world with. Lucy discusses with her dad photography because she knows it is what he loves and she does too. This shared passion helps her communicate with him although sometimes it seems one-sided. While her father loves her, he makes mistakes and isn't always sensitive toward her. The mother comes across as lonely and disappointed when Lucy doesn't want to do something with her. Yet, she doesn't force Lucy to come with on excursions. I wanted their relationship developed a bit more.

The reader will learn about loons and responsible behavior toward them. Boaters that get too close to loons scare them. The parents end up not feeding their babies enough food, spending too much time protecting them from the boaters and the result is the babies can starve to death. Lucy, Nate, and Emily decide to create posters to inform the public on appropriate behavior around the nesting birds. They eventually include Megan in the project and while she can be obnoxious, Lucy deals with her in a way that helps them reach a truce. Lucy is upset by an incident of a predator attacking the loons. I remember as a kid struggling with the death of bunnies and deer. I grew up on a nature center and it took me a long time to understand why the deer had to be shot periodically to reduce their numbers. This can open up discussions on the balance of ecosystems, human care and responsibility toward the environment, and human impact on animal habitation. If readers like this aspect, they can try other books with similar themes such as, "The One and Only Ivan," "Hoot," "Julie," or "Endangered." This book would make a great read aloud for grade 3 - 5 students.

4 Smileys

Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes

This novel-in-verse tackles quite a few issues using a small amount of words. Nikki Grimes shows how word choice and metaphors can create a powerful story. Gabriella, is prone to daydreaming. When her parents divorce her daydreaming interferes with her classroom attention. Her teacher recognizes that she is coping with her parents separation through daydreams and he helps her to channel them in a productive manner. The adults recognize that Gabby's daydreams make her a vivid writer as Gabby learns to write she discovers her own voice and self in her words.

Gabby dreams in order to escape from her parents arguments. Later they take over her thoughts so much that she frustrates her mom and teacher who need her to focus more on tasks at hand. At first they try to get her to stop daydreaming altogether, but she becomes so unhappy the teacher tries a different approach telling her to "slide her daydreams in a drawer." He acknowledges the importance of dreams but tries to help her see the importance of paying attention when he's teaching a lesson. When he catches her writing a daydream down he is excited by the quality of it. He decides to give students 15 minutes a day to write down their daydreams. Gabby's mom also recognizes that her daughter's writing and daydreaming are a worthwhile activity. Gabby is powerless in school and her daydreaming gives her some control of the world around her. It was refreshing to have the adults learn from Gabby and reminded me of how much the students at my school have taught me or inspired me to be better at what I do.

The font changes in the story when the reader is in Gabby's dreams or she has a flashback to what it was like when her dad lived with them. These shifts have some gorgeous metaphors and word choices. One of my favorites is Waterfall: "Say 'waterfall,'/ and the dreary winter rain/ outside my classroom window/ turns to liquid thunder,/ pounding into a clear pool/ miles below,/ and I can't wait/ to dive in."  Talk about giving words wings. I love that image of "liquid thunder." This would make a good read aloud for grades 4-5.

4 Smileys

The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill, Elliott Gilbert (Illustrator)

Dolls, figurines, and stuffed animals are integral to childhood play. I was just telling a class of students my attempt to design a parachute using my Barbie doll as a kid, testing the contraption by tossing it out a second story window. My brother later joined me strapping helium balloons to his G.I. Joe doll. I discovered I needed a much bigger parachute while my brother discovered one balloon wasn't enough to hold up Joe. When we tired of running up and down the stair to retrieve our dolls, we sat down and made-up pretend stories. Having imaginary friends, giving life and voices to inanimate objects, creating worlds and fantasies was crucial to our playtime. "The Best-Loved Doll" captures the power of pretend play as a way to explore the world and gain new knowledge. It not only shows the bond between a child and doll, but that winning a prize is not as important as following your heart. Betsy is not only loyal to the doll she loves the most, she doesn't care about its outward appearance. Thank goodness the author does not deliver this message in an overly sentimental way. Her simple language and focus on character actions makes for a powerful understatement. I highly recommend it.

Betsy has received an invitation to a birthday party that will give prizes to the oldest, best-dressed, and most talented dolls. Betsy has four dolls and three fit all those categories but she chooses to bring the fourth doll, Jennifer, with taped cheeks, a cracked nose, and tattered dress. She knows she won't win any prizes but takes her anyway because she loves her the most out of her dolls. She never says this out loud, but cleans the doll up and brings her with to the party. She watches three girls win a prizeand unemotionally thinks about her dolls at home that would have won the prize. Her reactions of kissing Jennifer and looking at Jennifer's "smile" show a child that is content with her choice. Betsy reveals she is not a show-off and her actions toward her doll show character traits of loyalty and friendship, something she can transfer in social situations as she grows older and develops her sense of self.

The mother hosting the party recognizes Betsy's well-loved doll and makes a medal that she pins to its dress. The other girls start to talk about their dolls at home that look like Jennifer, but that they obviously didn't bring. Betsy responds by kissing her doll. The black and white illustrations have a splash of pink on pages that give it a timeless feel. They remind me a little of the Madeline illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans. The book was first published in 1962 and is 64 pages. It is a quick read. Good for ages 5-8.

5 Smileys