Meet Laura Resau

I just recently discovered this amazing author, Laura Resau. I was reading a review on her most recent book, Queen of Water when I decided to check it out of the public library. I couldn’t put it down and finished the book within days. After reading this fabulous, intriguing book I decided to do some research on the author to see what other books she might of written. I tend to do this when I find an author that I truly enjoy.  In the midst of my research on Laura Resau I discovered her fabulous website that also includes a writing blog. It really is a wealth of information about her as a writer, her life and her many books. http://www.lauraresau.com/

Laura Resau is an aspiring author with real messages. Her writing is not only beautiful but poetic. She uses rich language and imagery and researches much of what she uses in her books. Most of her stories are about life in Latin America.  Here is her bio from her website:

With a background in cultural anthropology and ESL-teaching, Laura Resau has lived and traveled in Latin America and Europe - experiences that inspired her books for young people. Her latest novel, The Queen of Water (cowritten with María Virginia Farinango) was praised as "riveting tale... by turns heartbreaking, infuriating and ultimately inspiring " in a starred review by Kirkus. Her previous novels - Star in the Forest, The Ruby Notebook, The Indigo Notebook, Red Glass, and What the Moon Saw - have garnered many starred reviews and awards, including the IRA YA Fiction Award, the Américas Award, and a spot on Oprah's Kids' Book List. Acclaimed for its sensitive treatment of immigration issues, Resau's writing has been called "vibrant, large-hearted" (Publishers' Weekly) and "powerful, magical" (Booklist). Resau lives with her husband and young son in Colorado. She donates a portion of her royalties to indigenous rights organizations in Latin America.

To date I have only read two of her books and in the middle of a third one. I can tell you from the two that I have read I will continue to read her other books and will definitely follow this prolific author. She has much to say about the world of immigrants from Latin America and I believe she will continue to write and receive starred reviews on her books. Here are two books that I have just finished reading.

What the Moon Saw (published in 2006)– This is a story of a young girl, Clara Luna, who has been invited to visit her grandparents in a small village of Mexico. Clara Luna, means ‘clear moon’ in Spanish. She receives a letter written in Spanish from grandparents that she has never met before. Her father had run away from home as a small boy to escape life in the small village to find a better life for himself. For many years he was an illegal alien in the United States. He held many small jobs before meeting his wife and starting his family. Now Clara, age 14, has been asked to go and visit this family she knows nothing about for an entire summer. She doesn’t know how she will survive without her friends, her TV, her iPod and her family. Instead what she finds in the village of Yucuyoo with her grandparents and their fabulous bird holds many surprises. She can’t believe her grandparents live in a simple shack in the mountains of Southern Mexico where most people speak Mixteco, an indigenous language. But instead Clara has a summer full of adventures and hears many stories of how her grandmother became a healer. Now Clara believes she has the same power too. A beautiful story of discovering your true self in the most unexpected place. (Recommend reading for ages 10 and up)

Queen of Water is her most recent book (published 2011)

Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta—stupid Indian—by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds. In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery. Virginia's story will speak to anyone who has ever struggled to find his or her place in the world. It will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, it will fill you with hope. (Recommended reading for ages 12 and up)

Troublemaker by Andrew Clements

Do you think the saying is true, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker?

Clayton, 6^th grader at Truman Elementary School is always getting into trouble. And he thinks it is funny. The more he gets in the trouble the happier he is. The most recent incident that has brought him to the principal’s office is a portrait that he has drawn of the principal as a donkey or jackass. Clayton wants to be just like his big brother Mitchell, who had a huge reputation at school for being a troublemaker. But as the story unfolds Mitchell has come home after spending some time in jail for some serious trouble. While Clayton wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, Mitchell has different plans for his younger brother. He has come to the understanding that being a troublemaker is the wrong path to choose in life. Mitchell now understands the difference between good and bad behavior and how making the right choices in life are very important.  Now he must make his younger brother, Clayton, understand this too. But it isn’t easy.

Troublemaker by award winning author Andrew Clements is another popular story about real life with actual situations and authentic characters that children can relate to. He is also the author of the very popular book, Frindle, as well as Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money and many more. Mr. Clements taught in the public schools near Chicago for seven years before moving East to begin a career in publishing and writing. He lives with his wife in central Massachusetts and has four grown children. 

I believe this is a book that every principal should have in his/her office to hand out to kids who've lost their way. Troublemaker is a wonderful story and  a very empowering book for troubled kids. It is not only a story for troublemakers but for those kids who know troublemakers. Recommended reading for grades 4-6^th.

Check out his website at: http://www.andrewclements.com

Sardoodledom

Sardoodledom by Krishna Dalal

How do you say sardoodledom? Can you spell it? Sardoodledom, definition means overly dramatic, almost unbelievable. I didn’t even know this word existed until I picked up this adorable picture book called Sardoodledom: A Spelling Bee Tale by local author Krishna Dalal.

This sweet little book with wonderful illustrations is a story about an annual elementary spelling bee. It takes place in the auditorium of Jefferson Elementary School. The students, Chloe, Ryan, Juan and Hannah, are the main characters that are participating in the annual spelling bee. But this really isn’t an ordinary spelling bee, because it is all about a play on words. The students use homophones, oxymorons, palindromes, rhymes and knock knock jokes to spell or define their words. Because of the fabulous play on words, this isn’t just a story for children but one for tweens, teens and adults too, especially if you ever participated in a spelling bee. Not only will readers learn some new words, but learn that spelling bees can actually be lots of fun, full of excitement or even complete sardoodledom. Of course the story isn’t a story until a surprise character comes along and puts in a sting into the plot. But you have to read it to find out what happens.

I found this story to be wildly creative. The author was very creative in using word plays with the spelling words to make this story very unique. The illustrations are very whimsical and the illustrator did a wonderful job creating characters with their adorable personalities.

Sardoodledom can be a great read-aloud because it really engages students and provides for many teachable moments. I would even recommend using this story in a classroom.  This is a great book for children ages 6-10 (but of course it can be read to younger ones as well with some explanation of the terms.)

You can find this fabulous book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online.

This is definitely a must for any library, home or school. I hope to see more from this new and imaginative author.

Banned Book Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1st)

Did you know it was Banned Book Week? Go out and find a book that has been banned or put on the challenged list. Go ahead read it and you decide for yourself if this book should be banned. Celebrate the freedom to read!!

According to the American Library Association, there were 348 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2010, and many more go unreported.

The 10 most challenged titles of 2010 were:
And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sex education, sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group
Lush, by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint
Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit
Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence, unsuited to age group

During the last week of September every year, hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2011 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 24 through October 1. Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,000 books have been challenged since 1982. For more information on Banned Books Week, click here

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon

Do you have a little boy who loves superheroes? Or who wants to be a superhero? Michael Chabon, best selling author and Pulitzer prize winning author has just published one of the best picture books yet on superheroes, called The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man with Moskowitz the Awesome Dog. Not only is the story packed with lots of punches, the illustrations by Jake Parker are just spectacular.

The story begins with awesome man having a secret. He can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly straight as an arrow and hug mutant Jell-O. His cape is as red as a rocket and his mask black as midnight. Not to mention he has an awesome letter “A” on his chest. But who is this man? In his own words, he is basically awesome.

The story and illustrations are brilliant, it looks like a 21^st century comic book with brightly colored computer formed illustrations that literally want to pop off the page. This is a fabulous fantasy book for kids and adults, really! Hopefully we will see more from Michael Chabon and Awesome Man.

The Mailbox

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

This is not your ordinary teen read. It is one full of beautiful writing, substance and deals with several serious topics; war, the foster system, and the life of veterans. This is a very touching and emotional story that shows us how people can save each other. Ages 12 and up.

12 year-old Gabe is lucky to live with his Uncle Vernon after spending many miserable years in the foster care system. He grows to love his grumpy old Uncle until one day he comes home to realize he has died. His body is left laying on the floor and Gabe doesn’t know what to do or who to call. He goes to bed distraught only to find the next morning that the body is gone, disappeared. Gabe goes about his business keeping the secret that Uncle Vernon has died, trying to take care of himself, clean the house and go to the store for groceries. He knows this is what his Uncle would want him to do. But suddenly he is receiving strange notes in his mailbox from a secret friend. The story continues with exchanges from this friend that Gabe believes to be his “fairy godmother”. Gabe is a wonderful character and this is really a very touching story about life and love. This could be a great read-aloud because it could lead to some great life discussions. A great recommendation for 6^th grade and up. 

Two great classics!

The Phantom Tollboth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollboth is a wonderful classic that was first published in 1961. It is one of those stories that can be either a read alone or read aloud. And it is also just as much of an adult book as it is a children’s book because of the author's play on words.

The story begins with Milo, our main character, who comes home from school to find a very large package waiting for him, which happens to be a magic tollboth. This tollbooth transports him away to the kingdom of wisdom. It is in the kingdom of wisdom that he learns he must restore order by finding two important people, rhyme and reason. The many adventures help Milo to understand the power of words, books and the importance of learning and knowledge. Something that we all can be reminded of as well. 

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

The Cricket in Times Square a very sweet story about three friends, a cricket, a cat and a mouse and their many adventures in New York City. This 1961 Newbery honor book, first published in 1960, is a classic that can also be read alone or as a read aloud to children ages 9 and up. The story begins with a young boy Mario who tends to his parents news stand near the train station. The news stand is failing financially but when Mario finds the cricket he begs to keep it as a pet because he believes that crickets bring good luck and that is exactly what his family needs. With some ambivalence his mother allows him to keep the cricket but only at the news stand, it cannot come home and thus the friendship begins between Mario and Chester. The cricket also becomes fast friends with Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat in the evenings when Mario goes home. The story continues with these four friends as they stumble upon many adventures in the bustling city of New York.