Review - "Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets"

When I was a kid, there was a Rodney Dangerfield movie called Ladybugs, in which a teen boy (played by the late Jonathan Brandis) pretends to be a girl to play on an all girls' soccer team. There were cross-dressing jokes a plenty and some gender confusion when Matthew (posing as Martha) gets a crush on one of his/her teammates. For some reason, I loved this movie as a kid. I only mention this, because all the warm feelings I had for it came rushing back when I read Eric Luper's fantastically funny book, Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets. I laughed at the same kind of jokes and enjoyed a similar gender bending adventure.

Jeremy Bender is your average guy. A little bit geeked out boating, a little bit picked on in school, and a little bit picked on by his older sister, Ruthie. Then one day, disaster strikes when, while working on his father's prize boat, he accidentally does some damage to the engine. Rather than admit his mistake, Jeremy formulates a plan to enter the Windjammer Whirl, win the $500 prize and repair the boat before anyone's the wiser. The catch? The Windjammer Whirl is for Cupcake Cadets only, and if there's one rule in the Cupcake Cadets handbook, it's No Boys Allowed. This isn't about to stop Jeremy, however, and he convinces his best friend Slater to go along with his scheme to pose as Cupcake Cadets to win the money. A couple of skirted uniforms later, "Jenna" and "Samantha" have entered a local troupe and start causing trouble wherever they go. They can't earn badges, can't pitch a tent, and can't seem to unload the eponymous cupcakes on the local populace. What are two guys-dressed-as-girls supposed to do, especially when one Cupcake Cadet gets too close to discovering their secret?

I chuckled a lot while reading Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets, and not all the humor is derived from having boys in wigs and skirts parading around town. Jeremy is a naturally humorous character, and his humor is drawn from a very believable boy place. There's a lot here about the difference between boys and girls (the scenes between Jeremy and sister Ruthie are a perfect example of these, and all very, very funny), and Luper knows how to play the line, making the book relatable to both boys and girls, which is a tricky thing to do. This book is an easy recommendation for fans of Wimpy Kid (something of which I'm always in need) and funny gals like Judy Moody and Ramona. I know Luper typically writes for a young adult audience, but I'm very interested in seeing what else he's got for the middle grade crowd, because he sure knows how to play to it.

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets by Eric Luper

2011, Balzer + Bray

Library copy

Favorite Holiday Books

It's that time of year again.  Time to start thinking of tinsel and trees, of carols and Christmas.  And for me, it's time to start thinking about my favorite holiday stories, to read for myself and to share with others.  Because in some ways, Christmas has always been about stories for me, from the reading of the tradition Christmas Story while lighting Advent candles to countless Christmas movies watched over the years.  These are just some of my favorites.

Picture Books/Early Readers

 Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry – Who doesn’t love this sweet, continuous tale of the tree that keeps on giving.  Barry’s gentle rhymes are wonderful for read-alouds and the story is sure to leave a smile on your face.

 Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, ill. by Lynn Sweat – This is a childhood favorite of mine.  I remember vividly Amelia Bedelia’s overflowing pots of popcorn and the “date” cake.  Amelia’s misunderstandings always seemed funnier at Christmastime. 

 Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, ill by Bagram Ibatoulline – One of my favorite new Christmas books to come in the last five years or so.  The story is sweet but not maudlin, and Ibatoulline’s illustrations full of light are simply gorgeous.  I always get a little teary and puffed up when I get to the end and the repeating “great joy”.

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss – Well, of course.  I practically know it by heart, and can sing the dear little Who’s song from the animated special on demand.  Like many things Dr. Seuss gave us, the Grinch is an institution unto himself and a never ending symbol of the power of the Christmas spirit.

 Chapter Books

 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – Not entirely a Christmas novel, but it begins famously with “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” and the March’s wonderful gift of Christmas breakfast to the poor Hummels.  I don’t always make it through the whole novel every year, though I’d like to, but I try to make it a point to read the first few chapters to remind me of all the things I should be thankful for come the holidays.

 When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke – Another modern favorite, this tells the tale of the last real Santa Claus, Niklas Goodfellow, and his crusade to save Christmas from the greedy hands of Gerald Geronimus Goblynch who wants Christmas to be all about how much money your parents are willing to spend on you.  Niklas is aided in his quest by two angels, potty mouthed elves, two human children and one disappearing reindeer.  It’s a story full of wit and whimsy from one of my favorite modern storytellers, and slim as it is, it’s an easy book to commit to reading or listening to (as I did this year) every year.

 The Bird’s Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin – This one I didn’t discover until recently, but it made a quick dent on my impressionable heart.  A quaint Victorian tale of an angelic, but sickly child, born on Christmas day, and her gift of a lavish Christmas dinner on her poor neighbors’ children, whose rambunctious play had always been a source of joy to the weak girl.  Carol Bird is a “Beth” variation (and anyone who has ever read Little Women knows exactly what I mean), but the neighbor Ruggle children are beautifully varied characters, full of vim and vigor.  The ending produces a tear or two, but they are tears well earned by the joy of the Christmas spirit.

 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – There is nothing that I know that more says “Christmas” than Dickens' immortal classic.  I can quote it at length, love to read it aloud (even if no one is listening but the cat) and will never tire of its lesson or its humor.  To paraphrase Scrooge’s nephew Fred, I believe A Christmas Carol has done me good, and will do me good for many years to come and I say, God bless it.

And finally, the best Christmas movie ever made…The Muppet Christmas Carol!  Surprised?  You shouldn’t be.  Despite being the first Muppet movie made after the untimely death of Muppet creator Jim Henson, it is imbued with his generous and jolly spirit in every frame.  The Muppet performers are in top form, especially Dave Goelz as Gonzo the Great, aka Charles Dickens, and Steve Whitmire, stepping into the role of Kermit the Frog, aka Bob Cratchit, and continuing his role of Rizzo the Rat.  For the humans, Michael Caine makes an excellent Scrooge, scowling, cowering and smiling in turn.  This plays in my house every year without fail, and with the Muppets making a return trip to pop culture relevance, I hope to share it with as many children as I can for as long as I can.

Weekend Movie Mini-Review

Hugo – Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a personal favorite of mine.  Selznick’s story of wonder and movies really gets to me, an ardant fan of early cinema.  Lucky for me, another film fan took the reigns of the film version and turned the “unfilmable” Hugo Cabret (Selzanick once said so himself) into a masterpiece of a film.  Martin Scorsese has done himself well as a movie lover, historian and preservationalist with Hugo, the story of a orphan boy living in a Paris train station in 1931.  The acting is across the board wonderful, with the best coming from Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory.  The film is gorgeous from all angles and moves like a dream.  Best of all, it remains true to the spirit of Selznick’s vision.  This film couldn’t have possibly turned out any better.  It’s a great way to spend an afternoon this holiday season.

New Cover Alert

It's come to my attention that the glorious One Crazy Summer has a shiny new paperback cover!  Take a look:

Just look at all those medals.  Makes you feel all warm inside, doesn't it?  The art is by Frank Morrison, and though the hardcover art was one of my favorite covers of last year, this is dandy.  I love all three sisters, in step, with their heads held high.

To compare, here's the hardcover, art by Sally Wern Comport:

Review - "Heart and Soul"

It's a rare conundrum when I find myself wondering, which award should this book win?  Newbery or Caldecott?  The question came up with Brian Selznick's visionary The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which eventually went on to win a Caldecott medal.  I asked it again with Selznick's latest, Wonderstruck (though I don't think Caldecott lightning will strike twice.  Hugo's medal was a departure for the award, a statement, and I don't see it happening again).  And then I come to Kadir Nelson's Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.  It's a beautiful work, in words and pictures, and I simply can't decide where it belongs more.  It's possible we might have our first double winner or honor since 1982 (when A Visit to William Blake's Inn won the Newbery medal and a Caldecott honor).  It would be only the second book to be awarded by both committees.

Nelson's second time up to bat as an author (the first being the Coretta Scott King illustrator honor book, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball), Heart and Soul recounts the history of the African Americans in America, told by a nameless grandmother figure.  She tells the history as it relates to her family, mostly straightforwardly, but every once a while, in a voice that lets you know she's speaking just to you.  The story begins around the Revolution and continues on through the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.  Through the pages, the narrator speaks of Slavery and Reconstruction, of Women's Rights and African American inventors and finally of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the movement of peaceful demonstration.

I said before that Heart and Soul is a beautiful work, and it is.  Stunning, really.  Nelson's paintings are full of light and darkness, of texture and depth.  They cover famous faces and made up faces, but each face is full of truth and beauty.  Every page is worthy of being framed and mounted, and I can't imagine the Caldecott committee looking at this book and not wanting to reward it.  As for Newbery, non-fiction is rarely given the medal, but often on the radar.  Nelson's text is spare and to the point.  By giving us a human narrator, he is acknowledging that this is not a complete history.  All people have gaps and blind spots.  It allows Nelson to be more subjective with his history.  Not that he gets anything wrong, not to my knowledge, but it is a somewhat one-sided history.  But such was Nelson's way with words, that I wanted more of them.  I was disappointed that the history ended in 1964, though an Epilogue does give us a summing up of the succeeding years, up to the election of Barack Obama in 2008.

That Heart and Soul deserves some shiny medal stickers is a no-brainer.  It's definitely in the running not only for the Newbery Award and the Caldecott Medal, but the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and the Sibert Medal, which goes to the best "informational" book of the year, an award won by We Are the Ship in 2009.  Frankly, I don't care how and what it wins, only that it is rewarded.  It's easily one of my favorite books of the year.

 Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
2011, Balzer + Bray
Library copy

Review - "Horton Halfpott"

Poor, hand working, scrappy young men can make for very boring heroes. Too good, too bland, etc. But in the right hands, they can make marvelous heroes, because the right hands can draw the thin lines between too good and just good enough. And thankfully, Tom Angleberger has an excellent pair of hands. He's already proven that with his origami skills, but he proves it again with Horton Halfpott; Or, the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, the Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset. Which has, by the way, the longest and most fabulous title of the year (of which I am aware, that is).

Poor, hardworking, scrappy young Horton Halfpott works in the kitchens of Smugwick Manor, cleaning the dishes, working tirelessly for his one chance a week to go home and give his mother his solitary penny and ask her if they finally have enough money to send for a doctor for his ailing father. Except for these Sunday mornings, he is at the mercy of Miss Neversly and her trusty spoon, which is often used the flog the ears of poor, hardworking kitchen boys. The entire household is at the mercy of M'Lady Luggertuck, and her no good son Luther, who is plain evil, so to speak. One day, the family's precious Lump, possibly the world's largest and certainly the ugliest diamond it the world, goes missing and a mystery is soon afoot. In comes a famous detective to apprehend the criminal and find the lump, and with him comes three story seeking reporters, eager to catch the scoop. It's a wonder that through all this hubbub, Horton is able to meet the lovely and kind Miss Celia Sylvan-Smythe, whose smile disarms are dear hero. Needless the say, there are more thefts, more beatings with spoons, some thrilling bravery and cunning thinking, some pirates and a plank and a happy ending for those that deserve one.

In the Acknowledgements, Angleberger writes that he was inspired by Charles Dickens, and it shows. The whole matter is very Dickensian, from characters names and situations to the occasionally slight but very sly humor. It reads like a 19th century novel, with it's omniscient narrator prone to addressing the "Reader" quite often (in my mind, every time I thought, "Reader, I married him"). There are some big laughs and little laughs, and even some social commentary thrown in for good measure, though it never beats you over the head with anything harsher than a feather. And Horton really is a strong character to build a narrative around, for he is good and kind and hardworking, but also clever and longs for knowledge and adventure. Miss Celia Sylvan-Smythe is a wonderful companion for Horton, because she is also clever and kind, and will accept no nonsense from her legion of suitors.

Horton Halfpott is a quick read, easily done in one sitting, but its virtues outlast its length. I know we have more origami to come from Mr. Angleberger, but I wouldn't mind more of Mr. Halfpott or even a spin-off detailing the mystery-solving adventures of the three stable boys. Basically, I just want more Tom Angleberger. And soon, if you please. :)

Horton Halfpott; Or, the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, the Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger

2011, Amulet Books

Library copy

Sequels and Series

Sequels and series are tricky things. Sometimes they can be the best things ever (see: Harry Potter) or sometimes they can turn into the story that just won't die (see: House of Night). Series are the biggest thing going on in young adult and juvenile publishing right now, and sometimes it's nice to have a book that's just fine by itself. But here are a few books I would love to see a continuation of, in some form or another.

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze - I try and put this charming, poignant little book in the hands of every ravenous Wimpy Kid fan looking for something to tide them over. And they love it. The only problem is, they come back asking for more, and I have no series to give them. Though Milo's story was nicely wrapped up in one volume, I would love for author Alan Silberberg to continue his adventures with some more funny tales. Pretty please?

The Grimm Legacy - If ever there was a book that was tailor made for a series, it's this one, by Polly Shulman. With the whole realm of fairy tales at her disposal, there could be numerous stories to be plucked from the tree. With Elizabeth's job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, there are dozens of artifacts around which to bend a tale, and the original certainly leaves room for continuation. In fact, I had thought there was going to be a series built around this title, but I've yet to see anything backing this up.

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream - I love seeing anything new from Jenny Han, and a sequel to this delightful early reader would certainly hit the spot. Clara Lee is a wonderful character, and is supported by a strong cast around her, and like Ramona, there are many stories to be told of such a precocious youngster. I certainly hope Ms. Han continues writing about Clara Lee, because writing for any age level, she's a wonder, but she's especially strong with the young set.