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The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. R.A. Spratt. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Little Brown. 239 pages.

Mr. Green desperately needed to find a new nanny for his children. In the four weeks since their last nanny left, he found himself actually having to talk to them, provide them with meals, and pay attention to them himself. And all this just had to stop. He had a job at a law firm helping rich people avoid paying their taxes. He could not be expected to look after his children as well.

Nanny Piggins wasn’t always a nanny. She’s formerly of the circus. She was the flying pig act. She’s used to being shot out of a cannon. So even though she doesn’t have any training in looking after children, she figures she can handle these three kids without much trouble. Derrick. Samantha. Michael.

Can a pig make for a good nanny? You be the judge. This children’s fantasy is very silly, very over-the-top. I found it an enjoyable read. Believable? Not for a second. The character development just isn’t there. But is it good for a few laughs? Yes! Nanny is a fun-loving, chocolate-loving, pie-baking wonder. Each chapter leads to a new adventure. And the adventures seem to get more extreme as the novel progresses!

If you enjoyed Lois Lowry’s The Willoughbys, then you’ll probably enjoy this one.

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The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams. Rhonda Hayter. 2010. Penguin. 256 pages.

Come to think of it, the day my brother tried to eat his first-grade teacher turned out to be the same day that my dad brought me home a very, very strange cat.

It isn’t always easy being a witch. Just ask Abbie Adams. True, she enjoys some aspects of it. But. Using her powers, well, they can get her into some trouble–and out of trouble too. Her younger brother, Munch, struggles with this too! (Which is why he sometimes need help from his older sister!) There is a responsibility to use it wisely, use it well. And Abbie HATES having to keep part of her life a secret from her best friend. (Especially since when accidents happen, she has to use magic on her friend(s) to help them forget.)

So Abbie Adams has witchy worries. As does her whole family. The adventure of this one is solving the mystery surrounding this very strange cat–or kitten. At first, his name is Benjamin. And while it’s slightly strange for a cat to be interested in books, in reading, in homework, they soon realize something else. This cat isn’t a cat. He’s an enchanted human. Who is he? How old is he? Who did the enchantment? When did it happen? Why? Can it be undone?

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Knightley Academy. Violet Haberdasher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 469 pages.

The Midsummer School for Boys sat on top of a steep but rather flat hill, staring down its nose at the village below.

Set in an alternate Victorian England. It stars a young boy, Henry Grim. He is lower class, a servant. But he’s smart. Very smart. And he surprises almost everyone when he passes the incredibly difficult entrance exam to Knightley Academy. No one from his school–Midsummer School for Boys–has passed in five years. Henry is NOT a student. He’s a servant who studies in his spare time–nights mostly. He’s become friendly with one of the professors. But Henry won’t be the only commoner attending. No, there will be three commoners admitted. And if they do well, then there’s always the chance that more will be permitted to attend in the future. If they don’t, well, then it will remain an elite privilege for the upper classes. Do Henry and his friends have what it takes? Can Henry handle all the unique challenges in his path? It certainly won’t be an easy task!

I enjoyed this book very much! I liked the characters. I liked the plot. And the writing was fun.

“Curses, as you surely remember, are meant to be broken. And once they break, unlike satchel straps or pairs of spectacles, they do not need to be fixed. However, to break something has consequences, and curses are no exception.” (71)

“Everything’s a bad bargain if you never meant to gamble in the first place.” (84)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that the problem with new shoes is that they are never as comfortable as the ones they are meant to replace. But Henry hadn’t known this. After all, he’d never had a pair of new shoes before.” (86)

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Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. Henry Cole. 2010. HarperCollins. 342 pages.

Below the crackled and faded painting of a horse, beneath the heavy sideboard, under the worn carpet, and dusty floorboards of the dining room, sat Celeste, hunched over her worktable. She was weaving a basket from blades of dried grasses.

If you’re a fan of the Tale of Despereaux, The Underneath, or Night Fairy, then you should consider reading Henry Cole’s A Nest for Celeste. Who is Celeste? She’s a mouse who doesn’t quite have a place to call home. She’s bullied by two rats–Trixie and Illianna–though we later learn that it are these rats who taught her to live in the big house, so they can’t be all bad. When she’s not being bullied by the rats or chased by the cat, Celeste likes to spend her time weaving baskets of all shapes and sizes. She uses these baskets when she’s about the house. She gathers crumbs and other small remnants that only a mouse could appreciate–blades of grass, the occasional feather, etc. One day after a vigorous escape from the cat, Celeste finds a “better” home. But this home isn’t a true home either. It’s a boot. With an owner. Fortunately, it’s owned by a young boy, Joseph, who appreciates just how cute and little and harmless she is. He calls her “Little One.” And he likes to carry her with him in his pocket. Who is Joseph? He’s a young boy who is an assistant to John James Audubon. For those unfamiliar with Audubon, he was a nineteenth century artist. He specialized in painting wildlife–birds. Did the birds love Audubon? Not so much. With good reason.

I didn’t love this one. Not as much as I hoped anyway. It is beautifully illustrated. It’s a novel about loneliness, friendship, and finding happiness where you can, when you can.

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Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.

From the author’s note: Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species.
The question is: Why do we all know it?
If you look at “Little Red Riding Hood,” it’s a perfect example of the exact opposite of a good story.

I loved this one. I did. I just LOVED it. Vivian Vande Velde gives readers EIGHT different “Little Red Riding Hood” stories. Each supposed to be ‘better’ than the original. With more heart and substance. And she definitely succeeded in my opinion. I enjoyed reading these stories. One area in which Vivian Vande Velde excels is in creating great first lines.

The Red Cloak: Once upon a time, after fashion was discovered but before people had makeovers on TV, there was a young girl named Meg.

The Red Riding Hood Doll: Once upon a time, before department stores and designer labels, there was a young seamstress named Georgette.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Family: Once upon a time, long after people had found out that their families could sometimes be an embarrassment, but before there were advice columnists you could complain to, there was a girl named Roselle.

Granny and the Wolf: Once upon a time, before online dating services, there was a granny who had an unwelcome suitor.

Deems the Wood Gatherer: Once upon a time, before eyeglasses were invented, there was a nearsighted but good-hearted man named Deems.

Why Willy and His Brothers Won’t Ever Amount to Anything: Once upon a time, after books were invented but before TV and movies, there was a girl named Isolda Adeline Genevieve Trenthausen.

The Little Red Headache: Once upon a time, before superhighways and hotel chains, a wolf was journeying through the woods.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Little Red Riding Hood: Once upon a time, before malls, boutiques, or online clothing catalogs, there was a fairy godmother who was having trouble finding something to wear to the naming-day ceremony for her goddaughter.

The focus shifts in each story. Sometimes focusing on the human characters: the young girl, the grandmother, the woodcutter; other times focusing on the red riding hood (cloak) or the wolf. Many stories do have a twist–as you’d expect in a collection of fairy tale retellings.

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The Storyteller’s Secrets. Tony Mitton. Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Random House. 128 pages.

Not so very far from here, nor so very long from now, there were two children. Their names were Toby and Tess and they were twins. They lived with their mother in a cozy cottage beside a village green. In the middle of the green stood a great old chestnut tree, and beneath the tree was a stout wooden bench where Toby and Tess sat when they hadn’t much to do or when there were things they wanted to talk about.

The Storyteller’s Secrets was originally published in the UK. The book has an old-fashioned, traditional feel to it. You can tell this even from the end papers. And the black-and-white illustrations. And the language. What is the book about? It’s about two children–a boy and a girl named Toby and Tess. One day after their mother has shooed them out of the house, they meet a stranger. A stranger named Teller. He loves to tell stories–and, of course, these stories all have morals, or should I say MORALS!–and he finds a welcoming audience in these two. The book has five of Teller’s stories: The Woodcutter’s Daughter, St. Brigid’s Cloak, The Seal Hunter, The Pedlar of Swaffham, and Tam Lin. The stories are told in verse, in rhyme. Though the framework of the story–Teller meeting the children, their friendly encounters–are told in prose.

There were a few moments where I felt Teller was a bit too condescending, a bit too didactic with the children. Is the book didactic because it’s trying to be old-fashioned? It could be. It didn’t bother me enough to stop me from reading the book.

My favorite was “Five Fragments” which sums up the book nicely. I won’t share all the poem. But here are the first two ‘fragments’.

a shrivelled old berry
that came from a wood
where a woodcutter’s cottage
once quietly stood…

a fragment of cloth
from the edge of a cloak
once worn by a woman –
such wisdom she spoke…

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Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris. R.L. LaFevers. 2008. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 400 pages.

The lace on my party frock itched horribly.

Theodosia is back in her second adventure. The first being Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. Theodosia is an eleven year old who takes advantage of her parents’ neglect. She enjoys her independence. She needs time for her research. She needs her freedom to work undercover as well. Which is why Theodosia hates the fact that her grandmother is insisting on a governess. Theodosia doesn’t need a governess to slow her down! How can Theodosia save the world, save Britain at the very least, if she is always being watched? And the world does need saving…make no mistake about that. Chaos is on the rise again in the second book. This time the ‘magical’ artifact–ancient Egyptian artifact of course–is a staff with the ability to raise the dead. Can Theodosia keep the staff out of the wrong hands?

I enjoyed this one.

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Peter and the Sword of Mercy. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. 2009. Hyperion. 528 pages.

From the prologue: Charlemagne, Conqueror of Europe, knelt before the stone altar. He was seventy, but with his reddish beard and full head of hair, he looked much younger.
From the second prologue: Queen Victoria lay dying.
From chapter one: James Smith, surrounded by a throng of home-bound commuters, climbed the steep stairs leading out of the South Kensington Underground station.

This is the fourth novel in the series. The first three are: Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. This fourth book is set twenty years after Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. This one bridges the gap between these newer books and the original book Peter Pan. Wendy, Molly’s daughter, is one of the main characters.

So what is it about? Lord Ombra is back. Again. This time he is possessing the body of one of the Prince’s advisors, Baron von Schatten. And he’s working with some cruel people. And he has a plan. A BIG plan that is very bad news for the few remaining Starcatchers (and their allies, like the four “lost boys” who returned to England). Of course, if he succeeds it’s bad news for everyone. Once Molly has been kidnapped, it is up to Wendy to find her way to Peter and find a way to save the world.

I liked this one. I didn’t love it. I think I am just tired of this villain. It had action and adventure. It was a good fantasy, with fairies and mermaids. But it didn’t thrill me. Perhaps if I’d read it closer to the others, then I’d be more enthusiastic. But. Every book doesn’t have to be thrilling.

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Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. 2007. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 343 pages.

I don’t trust Clive Fagenbush.
How can you trust a person who has eyebrows as thick and black as hairbrushes and smells of boiled cabbage and pickled onions? Besides, I’m beginning to suspect he’s up to something. What’s worse, I think he suspects I’m up to something. Which usually I am.

It is so easy to love Theodosia Throckmorton. (It is also easy to love Isis, her cat.) This eleven-year-old is intelligent, brave, and extraordinarily gifted. Her parents are curators at a museum; her mom is an archaeologist. Their specialty is Ancient Egypt. (In fact, when the novel opens, her mom is away exploring.) What’s Theodosia’s special gift? Well, this child has a way of sensing when something has been cursed. And her parents are bringing back cursed objects all the time. So Theodosia is kept busy removing curses. Of course, her parents are too busy to notice how their daughter spends her days and nights. She is always researching and learning as much as possible. Because you never know when you’re going to need to know something. And it turns out Theodosia is right to be prepared. Because one of the “cursed” objects she brings back threatens the peace and security of a nation.

What did I love about this one? I loved the characters. I loved the setting–London and Egypt. I loved the mystery. I loved how LaFevers brings this time period to life. How she uses the politics of the day to tell a great story–to bring Egyptian gods and goddesses to life. I loved the focus on Egyptian mythology!

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House of Dolls. Francesca Lia Block. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. 2010. June 2010. HarperCollins. 61 pages.

Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene lived in a house from another time, a white house with a red roof and red shutters and a red front door. In the garden was a real bonsai tree and a reflecting pool made from a pocket mirror tucked into a lawn of real moss. The floors were tiled with black-and-white parquet or softly carpeted, and the walls were covered with floral paper, foil mirrors, and paintings in gold doily frames. Above the dining room table was a silver chandelier fixed with birthday candles. Silk and lace curtains hung at every window.

Sometimes presentation matters. House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block is a lovely example. It is beautiful inside-and-out. It is a small little book, but great attention has been paid to detail.

Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene are dolls now owned by Madison Blackberry, a very unhappy, quite lonely little girl. These dolls don’t get played with very often–but the dolls don’t mind. These are older dolls, and they enjoy keeping their own company. (And Madison’s grandmother hasn’t forgotten them completely–these dolls still get the occasional treat of a new dress.) Two of the dolls have boyfriends.

Wildflower was a celluloid doll with long black braids of real hair, pale skin, and big brown eyes with painted-on eyelashes. Guy was a dark-skinned plastic doll in army fatigues. It did not matter that they looked nothing alike.
The first time Madison Blackberry lay them down next to each other in the white lace canopy bed and their arms brushed, Wildflower and Guy knew they never wanted to be separated. Because Wildflower had lived so long and seen so much of the world, she would have been content just to sit beside Guy for the rest of her existence. (7)

Rockstar also has a boyfriend. But her boyfriend isn’t a boy at all.

B. Friend was a devastatingly handsome stuffed bear with button eyes, an embroidered nose, and jointed arms and legs. He was a studious fellow with round wire-rimmed glasses with lenses made of clear dried nail polish. B. Friend wore a red crochet beret and a red flannel vest and britches. (9)

Miss Selene is a fairy doll. Since she doesn’t have a soul mate, she spends her time trying on dress after dress. That is when she’s not feeling sad about something she can’t quite remember.

Why is Madison so unhappy? What will she do in frustration, in anger, in boredom? Well, you’ll just have to read and see for yourself…

House of Dolls is about dolls. But it is about more than dolls. It is about a very real little girl struggling with some darker emotions. It is about a little girl very much in need of love and affection. It is an emotional story about a family learning just how much they need one another.

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