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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 Adventures of Nanny Piggins (MG)

Happy Sunday! Today is my blogoversary. Today Becky’s Book Reviews turns four! I think it is a good time for me to revise one of my goals for blogging. In the past, I’ve loved blogging daily, loved having a book to review for most days. But. I just can’t keep up this pace. I can’t. I need freedom. I need balance. So I might not have something to post every day of the week. So I might be reviewing fewer books per week, per month. But I’m hoping that what I do review, what I do post, will be worth it. By giving myself some freedom, I hope to have more things that I love, love, love.

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Turtle in Paradise. Jennifer L. Holm. 2010. Random House. 208 pages.
The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin. and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.
To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee. 1960. 281 pages.
Civil Contract. Georgette Heyer. 1961/2009. Harlequin. 432 pages.
The Vigilante’s Bride. Yvonne Harris. 2010. Bethany House. 304 pages.
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Salley Mavor. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin. 72 pages.
Chicken Big. Keith Graves. 2010. Chronicle Books. 40 pages.
It’s A Book. Lane Smith. 2010. August 2010. Roaring Brook Press. 32 pages.
Amazing Baby: Clap and Sing. Emma Dodd. 2007. Silver Dolphin. 12 pages.
Princess Baby On the Go. Karen Katz. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 14 pages.

Coming Soon:

Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Mary Beth Chapman. With Ellen Vaughn. 2010. Revell. 288 pages.

Frankenstein The Graphic Novel: Original Text. Mary Shelley. 2008. Script Adaptation by Jason Cobley, American English Adaptation: Joe Sutcliff Sanders. Illustrations by Declan Shalvey, Jason Cardy & Kat Nicholson, etc. Classical Comics. 144 pages.

Jane Eyre The Graphic Novel: Original Text. Charlotte Bronte. 2009. Classical Comics. 144 pages.

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

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #35

To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee. 1960. 281 pages.

I love rereading favorite books. I do. I don’t get the chance as often as I’d like–too many new books wanting my attention. But rereading this one felt just right.

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those rare novels–a true classic–with a dozen or more themes in it–but it feels so effortless to read, to savor. Yes, it’s about justice, prejudice, race and class, etc. But above all else it is about ordinary people of all ages. Men. Women. Girls. Boys. Ordinary folks–Southern folks–living life as best they can.

Atticus Finch, the father of Scout, our narrator, challenges his children to think about things differently. “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (30).

I loved Scout. I just LOVED her. The novel chronicles three years of her life. (Mostly summers–though school does play a role in the novel. And there is a great Christmas chapter!) Readers see Scout in relationship with various people–her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, her summer-time friend, Dill, Calpurnia, the Finch’s housekeeper, Aunt Alexandra, Uncle Jack, Miss Maudie (a neighbor), Mrs. Dubose (yet another neighbor), etc. And then, of course, there is the ever-mysterious Boo Radley. The man that fascinates Scout, Jem, and Dill.

When Atticus Finch is chosen to defend Tom Robinson a black man accused of raping a white woman, life changes–for better or worse–for his two children. Many in the community can’t understand why he actually takes the case seriously. Why he is putting his all into it, treating it as a real case. But Atticus says it well when he says, “Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (104) and “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (105).

Harper Lee did a GREAT job with her characters. They’re so richly detailed. Many characters feel so real, so human. It is a joy to spend time with Scout. To become a part of her world. To see the world through her eyes. She also did great with descriptions. Whether the scene is serious–heartbreaking–or comical–Harper Lee has a way of describing it in a way that is memorable and true to life.

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. (18)

It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (112)

“How could they do it, how could they?”
“I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it–seems that only children weep. Good night.” (213)

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To Kill A Mockingbird

Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.

From the time of my first memories, my dreams were filled with lions–fierce, impossibly huge monsters with fiery manes and eyes black and cold as a starless night.

Nefertiti. Sphinx’s Princess is a fictional account of Nefertiti’s early years. Set in Ancient Egypt, the novel is rich in detail–history, mythology, culture. Readers learn what life as a royal might have been like through the eyes of a young woman betrothed to Pharaoh’s son. A young woman royal in her right–the niece of the Queen. Her father has warned her for years of the dangers of becoming too close to the Queen, of being a part of court life. Nefertiti is learning about these risks herself–for better or worse. Her story continues in Sphinx’s Queen which releases in September 2010.

Friesner’s Nefertiti is an intelligent, beautiful, compassionate young woman. She can read and write. She can sing and dance. Her life is saved by a slave–a Hebrew slave–and this changes her. She’s now tender-hearted and devoted to the life of one slave girl in particular. (I’m not sure I *believed* that anyone would take such risks for another person, slave or not.) Friesner’s Nefertiti is not concerned about politics, about power. She just wants a simple, private life.

Friesner’s Nefertiti is VERY different from Michelle Moran’s Nefertiti. Both books are, of course, historical fiction. So neither Nefertiti is the “real” Nefertiti.

I enjoyed Sphinx’s Princess. I look forward to reading Sphinx’s Queen soon.

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Sphinx’s Princess (YA)

Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.

I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. They were licking me, biting me, worrying at my body, pressing in. Their huddled bodies blocked what little heat the sun offered.

Our heroine, Grace, survived a wolf attack as a child. You might think that would make her fearful of wolves. But just the opposite is true. Grace borders on the obsessive. With one wolf in particular. Each winter she watches and waits. She seeks him out from the pack. Little does she know that he is always watching and waiting for her. His name is Sam. And he is a werewolf.

After a local tragedy, the community decides to do something about the wolf problem. Grace is angry–and determined. She wants to save the wolves. She wants to save “her” wolf. He is shot but not fatally. When he’s shot–or perhaps soon after he’s shot–he shifts to human form. And Grace has a chance to connect–really connect–with “her” wolf.

Grace isn’t the only one in the community to learn the secret–that werewolves are real. Does Grace’s romance stand a chance against the bitter cold of winter?

I didn’t love Shiver. I’m not even sure I liked Shiver. It was okay. But I certainly didn’t find it romantic or giddy-making.

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Shiver (YA)

Glimpse. Carol Lynch Williams. 2010. June 2010. Simon & Schuster. 496 pages.

Lizzie and Hope are sisters and best friends. Hope is almost thirteen, Lizzie just fourteen. But one day Hope gets a bit of a shock. She finds her sister, Lizzie, in a desperate moment. She finds her sister holding a gun, fingering the trigger. She does save her sister–in that moment–and Liz is taken to a place where she can get some help. But that is just the beginning of a mystery. For Hope can’t understand what led Lizzie to such an act. Did her sister really want to die? Was it just a cry for help? Can Hope discover the truth–the real reason–behind Lizzie’s actions?

The book is about Hope’s journey to see the why.

Glimpse is a dark novel, a verse novel, for older teens. Carol Lynch Williams made me feel. It’s rare for me to hate a mother so very, very much. But hate her I did. Glimpse may not be for every reader. It’s dark, ugly, raw with pain. But it’s very well written.

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Glimpse (YA)

Happy Sunday!

I know of two great events going on in August. The first I’ve mentioned twice the past week. It is Austenprose’s Georgette Heyer celebration! You can see the full schedule here. There will be reviews of over thirty of her books! I’ve heard there will be interviews as well. And giveaways! If you’ve never read Georgette Heyer, this would be the perfect opportunity for you to explore her books. It should give you a good idea of what to expect, and you might just find one to try! As I’ve mentioned before, it would be nearly impossible for me to name a favorite Georgette Heyer book. But Venetia comes close–for me.

I’m currently listening to THE CONVENIENT MARRIAGE on audiobook. It is narrated by Richard Armitage. And it is so good.

The second event is Presenting Lenore’s Dystopian August. There will be reviews, interviews, contests and giveaways, etc. She’ll have a place for readers to share links to their own dystopian reviews, I hope to read some this month!

Do you have a favorite dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel you’d like to recommend?

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Dark Life. Kat Falls. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
Everlasting. Angie Frazier. 2010. June 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. 2009. October 2009. Simon & Schuster. 448 pages.
Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Quest for Joy). Alison McGhee. 2009. Scholastic. 320 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Dream of the Dog). Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Drazen Kozjan. 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
The Everlasting Now. Sara H. Banks. 2010. Peachtree Publishers. 176 pages.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.
Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. Henry Cole. 2010. HarperCollins. 342 pages.
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Grace Lin. 2010. July 2010. Little, Brown. 43 pages.
Word After Word After Word. Patricia MacLachlan. 2010. HarperCollins. 128 pages.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.
Fancy Pants. Cathy Marie Hake. 2007. Bethany House. 384 pages.
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Snail: A Book About Things We Use. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Frog: A Book About Growing. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Moth: A Book About Light and Dark. Geoff Waring. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
How Rocket Learned to Read. Tad Hills. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Ferocious Wild Beasts! by Chris Wormell. 2009. December 2009. Random House. 32 pages
Posy. Linda Newbery. Illustrated by Catherine Rayner. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
When the World is Ready for Bed. Gillian Shields. Illustrated by Anna Currey. 2009. Bloomsbury. 32 pages.
Click, Clack, 123. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2006/2010. Little Simon. 22 pages.
Click, Clack, ABC. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2005/2010. Simon & Schuster. 24 pages.

Currently Reading:

X Isle by Steve Augarde. 2010. Random House. 480 pages.

The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer. (1934) Read by Richard Armitage. 2010. August 2010. Naxos Audiobooks. 5 hrs. 6 minutes.

Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.

Sphinx’s Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.

What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:

Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. 2010. Sourcebooks. 304 pages.

In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6) Jude Watson. 2009. Scholastic. 206 pages.

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #31

Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Prologue: Larch often thought that if it had not been for his newborn son, he never would have survived his wife Mikra’s death. It was half that the infant boy needed a breathing, functioning father who got out of bed in the mornings and slogged through the day; and it was half the child himself.

Chapter one: It did not surprise Fire that the man in the forest shot her. What surprised her was that he shot her by accident.

Fire’s father was a monster, and deep-down Fire thinks she may be one too. When the king asks her to use her powers to interrogate prisoners, supposed spies, she questions her “gift” more than ever. But with the kingdom so close to war, with the army in need of intelligence, Fire can’t deny that she is needed. That her “gift” could help her country, her kingdom, that her “gift” could save lives. Still Fire is haunted by the mistakes of the past–her father’s mistakes–would the country be in such a miserable condition if her father hadn’t misused his gift?

Fire is a fantasy–a romance–rich in detail, in world-making. It is a companion novel to Graceling. While I didn’t love Fire as much as Graceling, I did enjoy it. I did find it compelling. There’s plenty of action and romance.

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Fire (YA)

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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Nest for Celeste (MG)

Happy Sunday!

What I’ve Reviewed This Week:

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.
The First Part Last. Angela Johnson. 2003. Simon & Schuster. 144 pages.
Finding My Place. Traci L. Jones. 2010. May 2010. FSG. 192 pages.
Stolen. Lucy Christopher. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
The Gardener. S.A. Bodeen. 2010. May 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 240 pages.
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It. Adam Selzer. 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
The Storyteller’s Secrets. Tony Mitton. Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Random House. 128 pages.
Elephant Run. Roland Smith. 2007. Hyperion. 336 pages.
Bamboo People. Mitali Perkins. 2010. July 2010. Charlesbridge. 272 pages.
Phineas L. MacGuire…Erupts. Frances O’Roark Dowell. 2006. Simon & Schuster. 176 pages.
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Lauren Tarshis. 2010. Scholastic. 112 pages.
First Comes Marriage. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages
Then Comes Seduction. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 448 pages.
At Last Comes Love. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith. 1773. 80 pages.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Ben Cort. 2009. December 2009. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Night Lights. Susan Gal. 2009. November 2009. Random House. 32 pages.
Always in Trouble. Corinne Demas. Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. 2009. Scholastic. 40 pages.
The Napping House. Audrey Wood. Illustrated by Don Wood. 1984/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
Baby at the Farm. Karen Katz. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 10 pages.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 2008/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 38 pages.
All About Me! A Baby’s Guide to Babies by David Salariya. 2008. Random House. 16 pages.

Currently Reading:


Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.

Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Kiss of Life. Daniel Waters. 2009. Hyperion. 416 pages.
What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. R.L. LaFevers. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 375 pages.

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

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #30